Cold Heart
by Vincent von Dreyfus
Summary: Sequel to "Sovereign Swamped." Stranded in a Goron shelter by a severe blizzard, Link meets a fallen warrior, an ignorant king, and a lost girl. But with his heart broken, can he come to his senses before Majora takes her next victim?
1. The Rumor

**A Note from the Author:** At last, we can continue with the _Shadow Apocalypse_ series! For those of you following the series, this is the sequel to Sovereign Swamped, where Link arrived in Termina and had his adventure in the Southern Swamp. This story will cover Link's three days in the mountains at Snowhead. If you are new to the series, the _Shadow Apocalypse_ series is my novelization and improvisation of _The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask_, and is also a runner-up to my popular _Ocarina of Time_ novelization, the _Dark Mind_ series.

Speaking of the _Dark Mind_ series, I would highly recommend reading the first entry, Phantom Destiny, before reading this story. This story contains many spoilers for Phantom Destiny, and refers to scenes in it often.

Anyway, though, I hope you enjoy Cold Heart as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Sovereign Swamped was a writer's nightmare, and certainly wasn't up to my typical standards, but here we have a heart-warming blast from the past. So enjoy part 1, and please write a review when you've finished.

EDIT: Apparently has removed my single-hyphen breaks between sections. Until I figure out why this is, I've replaced the breaks in this chapter with the long line breaks such as the one below. I'm not aware that this has been a long-going problem, but if it has been, please feel free to let me know.

The Legend of Zelda series (c) Nintendo

* * *

**Part I ~ The Rumor**

ANDREAS REPORTS:

The Giant Operational Heat Transmitter: GOHT. Said to be the greatest break-through in technology yet, it is a giant robot that can be used to change the weather at the flip of a switch. Still in the testing stages, this masterpiece of Termanian engineering is held in the mountains of Snowhead while minor alterations are being made on its Artificial Intelligence. The man behind the weather machine's name is as of yet unreleased, as a matter of security from competitors, but it is expected that GOHT will be a global phenomenon when it is released this upcoming November, though there will be a VIP-only sneak preview on Halloween night.

Invitees will be advised that no information about GOHT will be permitted to be leaked out to the press. Harsh measures will be taken upon anybody who decides their purpose is to cause trouble at this exclusive preview of the GOHT machine.

Scientists all over Termina are expressing great interest in the long-term effects GOHT could have for our planet, both good and bad. "Droughts and floods will never cause problems again," the lead scientist at GOHT's parent company, Gohdan, Inc., informed the Clock Town Tribune last Thursday. "The possibilities are endless! We could even stop a tornado, if one should attack during the Festival of Time, for example."

However, some analysts are not at all happy. "If the information got in the hands of the wrong people, entire climates could be changed in an instant," Igor Mosclosky, lead Ecology professor at Deku University and anti-biowar activist, warns. "We must be careful that the devil does not get his fingers around GOHT's controls; otherwise, our scientists in the North will have created the most powerful weapon of our time."

* * *

I laid against the cold windowsill, resting my head in my folded arms, staring outside into the dark blizzard. Nearly frozen teardrops inched slowly down my cheeks, until with a quiet patter they broke away and landed on the windowsill. I could hardly see outside through the great cloud of frost my breath inflicted on the window, but it didn't matter. I wasn't looking for something. I was only dying.

My breath was hard and heavy, trembling with every inhale. I couldn't breathe through my nose—it was too stuffy to do anything with but sniffle. I could feel my whole body trembling, though if it were from the cold or because of how I felt I couldn't tell. I just felt ready to explode, to let it all out, to just sob my way to sleep. But for some reason, I just couldn't. Maybe it's because I'm a boy.

I just couldn't stop wondering, why? How could this have happened? To have traveled so far, to have struggled and strained just to get to this very spot, all for nothing. Was it Majora's fault? She seemed to have it out to torment me, make my life in every which way horrible and miserable. "Oh Tatl," I sobbed quietly, quite sure by now my eyes were a painful red, "why did she have to... Why did she..."

I guess that was the key to the flood gate. Everything came out. It _does_ help to talk, I suppose. I just wish it didn't have to be me. My face fell away from the window, my back lurched forward, and I broke down. My eyes became more powerful than Zora's Fountain, my heart more rapid than Bongo Bongo's drums, and my soul collapsed into its grave. "Saria," was all I could say.

* * *

My name is Link. I'm not even 15 years old, yet I've saved countless people, slayed hordes of monsters, and have gone through comas, disembodiment, and bloodshed. I guess you could say that makes me a hero? That's what all the gods call me: the Hero of Time. But I had the title Hero of Time before I even stepped out of Kokiri Forest. So do you have to be heroic to be a hero, or are you just born one? I've been wondering that lately.

That fact is, all I'm ever doing is killing things. Monsters, warlocks, thieves, I probably wouldn't be remembered at all if it weren't for the Master Sword. In my last adventure, I saved a monkey prince and helped him to rescue a princess. We saved a swamp kingdom from a vicious god, but our methods were vastly different. Everything I did involved slashing something, or spitting Deku Nuts. The monkey, who ironically shared my name (and, apparently, was named after me), hardly fought at all. He was hailed for being such a good person. He rescued the princess. I slayed the demon. He gave a life another chance, I ended one.

So, in the end, was I _really_ a hero? Six years in the future, I would save Hyrule from the evil Ganondorf. I never talked about it before, but I cried when I killed him. He was almost just like me. He fought for what he believed in, destroyed those who stood in his way...and he wasn't even the bad guy. His twisted mother rose him into an evil wizard just so she could inherit his power.

So leaving the Southern Swamp through a white curtain, falling through the void of time with only the fingers of Nayru to slow me down, I couldn't help wondering if I was a hero, or just somebody who called himself one.

I've been in a psychological pickle ever since arriving in Termina. It is a mysterious, ethereal world, one that always seems detached as if it were a dream, while at the same time as real as the heart pumping my body. I always seem to get lost in thought here, like it was a sponge for attention. In Hyrule, I had Navi, my fairy, and Saria, my love, to guide me when I had questions. But Navi left me, and Saria was taken from me. All I had now was Tatl, who couldn't fulfill a fairy's role if her life depended on it.

Saria... Her name echoes through my very heart and soul. She has been the reason why I wander Termina, searching every nook and cranny, wishing with every vein in my body that there is at least a slight chance that she may be alive.

* * *

An orange, faded sky greeted us as the dawn of November 1st materialized. I took a deep breath of the crisp air and smiled. "Nice to see the sky again," I chirped. Despite it still being relatively early, the streets around us were crammed with carpenters, perfomers, and vehicles. Everybody was busy in Clock Town, just as they always were, but it was better than seeing them running for their lives.

"We can't just sit here and relax," Tatl nagged. "Don't forget, we have three giants left to go. We haven't succeeded in anything yet; this is just the beginning." She pulled one of my ears, until I was looking in the other direction at a tall, geometric tower with five gigantic clocks at its top. "Come on! Let's go see the Happy Mask Salesman!"

* * *

"So, you crossed paths with a demon, did you?" the Happy Mask Salesman remarked as soon as I stepped into the Clock Tower. I would have thought such a story would warrant at least a worried look, but the man's face was still painted with that frozen grin. "You've been busy."

"Well, it wasn't exactly a demon," I corrected, a little curious as to how he knew I'd fought Odolwa already. "It was a god, or at least a god gone wrong."

"Anything becomes a demon once it sells its soul to Majora. Never forget that." I felt a cool breeze behind me. Looking behind me at the shut doors to the tower, I saw that the breeze came from the cracks underneath them. "She's trying to get in, you know."

"There was a Deku wearing a mask," I mumbled nervously. "Before he turned into Odolwa, he said there wore more like him, and that Majora planned to ruin my life...or something." I looked back at the enigma in purple. "Should I be concerned?"

"You are a player in her game now," the Happy Mask Salesman answered. "History is repeating itself, and she knows it. You must watch your step from now on, Link. The game doesn't end until one of you is dead." I shivered. That wasn't very comforting...

"Well, Link doesn't have a chance as long as that moon is up!" Tatl chirped. "And neither do I! So we need to find more giants! You can't relax now, Link; things are just beginning."

"Ah yes," the Happy Mask Salesman grinned. "I would recommend the north. A giant lives somewhere in the vicinity of the Northern Mountains." A very sinister chuckle escaped out of his pearly teeth. I didn't know what to make of it. "Or at least, one used to."

"Th-Thank you...?" I quietly replied. Tatl and I turned back towards the door.

"I should warn you though, Link, that now that you've killed her warrior, Majora will be a lot less merciful. Be on your guard."

I nodded. "I think I can manage." Or at least, I hoped I'd be able to manage.

* * *

Soon enough, I found myself sitting alone with Tatl in an empty cabin on another train, this one northbound. Neither of us talked; we just observed the busy train station as we waited for things to get going. In my lap was a warm mug of hot chocolate. A dainty little spoon rested in my hand, swirling around in the cup as I busied myself with idle thoughts. I was so lost in my mind that I dropped the spoon after a while, though, and frowned at the brown drink. I couldn't figure out how to get the silvery utensil out of my hot chocolate, though, so with a sigh of dismay I left it on the side for a waiter to collect. I couldn't help but feel bad. It was a waste of a good drink, not to mention that nice spoon was probably sticky now.

Tatl and I didn't last very long after that. We hadn't had a wink of sleep since staying with the Business Scrub, and the next thing I knew, Clock Town was nowhere to be seen through the window. The great plains, the same plains that we passed through to reach the swamp, were all that we could see. "That's funny," I remarked with a deep yawn. "I wonder if the whole city is surrounded by this field. Nothing else ever seems to be here."

As I fiddled around, idly counting the hours as it sped farther and farther north, I thought about how I wasn't as frightened anymore. When I had first arrived in Termina—especially in my cursed state—I had been scared and overwhelmed by the bizarre world I now existed in. I was beginning to get used to the fact, though, that there was so much that I couldn't comprehend that I'd just to make the better of things and adjust. There was no telling how long it would be before I could be in Hyrule again; and Saria would need me to be brave, wherever she was. "Time to suck it up, Link," I said outloud.

"Quit talking to yourself," Tatl scolded before I could get any further in my pep talk. I just shrugged and looked out the cabin's inner window, observing Termina's strange clothing style. It actually didn't look all that bad; but I shuddered at the concept of wearing such loose clothing, and mentally noted not to try any of it on. I was representing Hyrule, in a way, so I should therefore exhibit my country's culture for the _Termanians_ to gawk at.

"That's a good way to think about it; be positive, not negative. Remember, Farore's the Goddess of Courage, not Cowardice," I murmured in encouragement, too quiet for Tatl to hear this time.

The oranges and browns of the countryside eventually grew thicker and taller, and with a sudden "whoosh" trees started appearing in hordes, trees of every kind. The most common, though, were the evergreen trees. They towered high above the train, higher than any evergreen in all of Hyrule, ominous sentinels guarding the way to the North. Their dark needles blended into large cone shapes, and dozens of pinecones lay scattered underneath their trunks. As another hour trickled past I began seeing more and more pines and less and less oaks.

The windowpane was beginning to get colder, and fogged up when I breathed on it. The ground underneath the pine trees was a light brown, the sort of color the world turns just before the onset of winter. Even from inside the train, I felt goosebumps rising on the surface of my skin. Wherever we were going, it was getting colder.

At last, the train slowed to a gentle stop at what looked like a village of comparable size to Kakariko. A voice came out of the mesh box on the ceiling. "Attention all passengers: the train has arrived in Mountain Village. Exit here for hotels, condos, and the Biggorondola Base Station."

"This is where we get off," Tatl explained softly. "Come on." Her tone was more like Navi's than usual; calm, patient, and a bit distant. It was as if the new environment had struck something deep inside her heart, and for a brief moment she exhibited the closest thing she had to sentimentality. I was touched. My mood wasn't much different, though. There was something magical and mysterious about the village we had stepped into, to such a degree that it was intimidating.

Tatl huddled underneath my hat as we stepped off the train. It was _cold_. I could see my own breath and everything! My nose turned a bright red, and goosebumps erupted all over my uncovered arms and legs. Though it was just early November, it felt like December—all that was missing was the snow. Most of the trees had lost their leaves already. All that bore them were the evergreens, watching my every heartbeat high above.

As I left the train station, I couldn't help but notice how austere my new location was. Nobody spoke a word—it was as if all the joy and happiness had been sucked out of the land, replaced with sheer disregard for anything. Everybody went about minding their own business, hustling past others without a single word, and throwing blank frowns wherever they directed their faces. I felt quite alone outside the station, despite the bustling crowd.

All around were cabins made of logs stacked on top of each other, and I couldn't help but feel these buildings gave the place a well-suited rustic look. Thick grey clouds blocked any view of the sky, and looking to the north I saw that only the bottoms of the mountains were visible underneath. The mountains were covered with pines and firs just like the village, and in some small way I felt a little at home. These were the sort of plants the Lost Woods was full of.

"Well, what do we do now?" I asked. I quickly became conscious of myself when I realized I was the only person in sight who had a smile on his face. In a lower voice, I whispered, "Do you know where we should go, Tatl?"

The fairy peeked out from underneath my hat and nodded. "T-To the wi-winter sh-shop. F-Fast!" she trembled.

"Where is that?" Winter clothes didn't seem like a bad idea in a climate like this.

She nodded in the direction of a small store at the corner of a nearby street. "Put a st-step on it, kid!" she pleaded before darting back under.

* * *

As I was trying on different sweaters, looking for something green and comfortable, I overheard two villagers, two old ladies, whispering gossip to one another. At first I didn't pay attention, but then I heard them mention somebody: a young girl, dressed entirely in green. The women called her the spirit of the pines. I hid in a changing stall, and pressed my ear against the door to listen.

"...Agatha says it's a warning, Hazel," whispered one of the ladies. "It's a sign that things are going to take a turn for the worse. The pine trees never let go of their children."

"I wonder if we should have killed her? Maybe the mountain wouldn't have gotten so strange if we had."

"No no, Hazel, you mustn't kill a pine spirit. The devil will cut your throat if you do. We must leave it to the mountain. She won't survive more than a day up there."

"Tatl," I mouthed to my companion. "She's up in the mountains!"

"What are you going to do?" she mouthed back. "For all we know, the giant could be somewhere down here!"

I shook my head. "No. There's nothing down here." Taking a moment to hear if they were still there, I motioned towards the door handle. "Come on, let's get out of here," I suggested.

* * *

Dressed in my warm, green sweater, we left the store and started asking around about how to get up into the mountains. Our queries were met with mixed reactions. People were shocked that we wanted to go there. Apparently, with the exception of a small ski village at the top of a gondola lift, the Northern Mountains (as they were called) were off-limits to Termanians (I'm not a Termanian, but I was close enough).

I was determined that Saria would be beyond the dense layer of clouds surrounding the mountain base, though, so even a small ski village was enough. We located the gondola lift, and purchased three tickets: one for me, one for Tatl, and one for Saria when we found her.

As I stepped into the small red box, I sneaked a glance at the world above us. Nothing but the bases of the mountains were visible underneath the opaque clouds covering the sky. There was a mysterious character to these clouds, and as I sat down and the door to the car shut I felt they foreshadowed something to come. What was coming, though, I hadn't the slightest clue about.

The operator noticed my interest as he too seated himself in the cold, metal box. "Been there since sunrise. It was crystal clear last night; don't have the slightest clue where such a cloudy forecast came from. I guess this November is just going to be as grim and cold as ever."

"Do you think it's dangerous up there?" I asked, troubled by the unannounced weather, and all the warnings I got in the village below.

"Couldn't tell ya, kid," he shrugged. "We just started operating the gondola; you're one of the first people heading up today. We'll just have to find out when we get there, ya?"

I nodded, though I could only understand half of what he said under his heavy accent. With a gentle sway, the car began to rise off of the ground and into the air, suspended only by a metal cable hanging from towers running up the side of the mountain. The wind picked up as soon as we got above the roofs of the village, and the gondola rocked violently back and forth with such vigor that I thought we'd drop. I panicked momentarily, seizing the handles of the cable car and bracing for the vertigo of our drop. The operator, on the other hand, sat calmly looking out the window. "We always seem to hit some turbulence as we approach the cloud level," he explained. "That's why most people don't ride on cloudy days."

"I can understand that," I groaned. I wouldn't have been surprised if I'd thrown up.

We couldn't see anything through the clouds. The moment we entered the misty veil the rattling and shaking of the gondola doubled, and I was sure I'd lose the breakfast I'd had on the train at any moment. "Well," the operator admitted, "this _is_ a bit stronger than normal. These must be some pretty dense clouds." The seamless whites and greys out the window, as it turned out, contained the cold November air and even made the car's interior _colder_. I rubbed my gloves together for warmth, though it didn't help much. Tatl's teeth chattered uncharacteristically, and for the first time she was virtually silent. A moment to savor, if I too wasn't shivering uncontrollably.

Suddenly something broke out of the white. It was a dark grey material like a balloon, and before we could react the enormous vessel slammed into our car, shattering one of the windows and making our car dip unnaturally low. The operator swore and jumped for a small box on the wall labeled "Emergency Controls" as the gondola shook like no tomorrow. "Don't panic, kid, we'll have things under control soon enough!" he assured me, though his voice didn't sound all that confident.

"What _was_ that!" I demanded, quite shaken by the crash. The vessel, whatever it had been, had vanished somewhere below us in the clouds. The shattered window was just barely holding together, and the fierce wind outside seemed to make it its business to bring the glass pane down. Whatever had happened, the gondola had not been made for it.

"It was a zepplin!" the operator answered rather hastily, struggling to open the box while trying not to lose his balance and fall through the decimated window.

"A what?"

"A zepplin! You know, an airship! Dirigible! Like a big horizontal balloon with a skeleton inside!"

"Why did it hit us?"

"That's what _I_ want to know, kid! We have a whole fleet of zepplins patrolling the mountain summit. They've got our best pilots; so that should not have happened!"

"Maybe they just got lost in the clouds?" I offered.

"I'm telling you, these guys fly better than anybody this side of the planet! This shouldn't have happened!"

Now I was the one who should be telling _him_ not to panic. Neither of us were very collected by now; apparently, something horribly wrong had happened, and we hadn't the slightest clue why. The operator finally managed to get the box open and pulled the revealed lever as hard as he could. For a moment the gondola shook harder than ever before, and then with a painful screech it all stopped. The car continued to tremble in the violent air, but I could tell we weren't moving any more. The car fell into a nervous silence.

"What now?" Tatl whimpered.

"Now, we're going to have to evacuate. The sky is too dangerous now. I'm pretty sure we're close to Summit Station, so if we can manage to escape poor visibility on the ground, I should be able to get us there. We must be almost out of the cloud level by now." With a well-placed kick he broke the cracked window, slicing the air with the sharp sound of glass crumbling. From another box he pulled out a rope ladder and threw one end out the open area where the window used to be. Planting his boots on the first few rungs, he motioned to me to follow. "Hurry, before there's _more_ trouble!" he ordered. "And brace yourself—it's a bit chilly!"

It felt like Zora's Canyon six years in the future, but worse. Hanging in the open, cloud-filled air while descending the ladder was like descending a cliff in a dense fog with your face pressed up against a wall of ice. My cheeks stung, and even with gloves on I was beginning to lose feeling in my fingers. The ladder swung and rattled in the bellowing gusts of wind, and I occasionally had to cling to the loose rungs and pray to the goddesses that I wouldn't lose my grip.

When we finally reached the ground, we were knee-deep in powdery snow no less white than the clouds. "Snow!" Tatl exclaimed as I yelped in shock, bits of snow falling through the cracks on the top of my boots and freezing my poor feet. "There shouldn't be this much snow up here until late December!"

"There wasn't any snow to speak of yesterday," the operator nodded. "I have a bad feeling about this. Zepplins aren't built to operate in the winter. That poor pilot must have been crashing." Tatl and I looked at each other and winced.

The visibility wasn't as bad until just a few feet above my head, so we were able to just barely make out the pine trees and boulders sticking up from the snow. The gondola operator led the way, quietly mumbling to himself words he must have used to memorize parts of the mountain landscape. We trudged through the snow at a sluggish pace, neither of us prepared in winter gear, and most of our energy was spent trying to keep as much warmth as we could while the piercing wind ripped at our faces.

We went this way and that, until I was certain we were going in circles, when suddenly the clouds broke off and we could finally see what was in front of us. We were scaling a narrow traverse along the side of the mountain, and though the sun was shining it did nothing to melt away the snow on the mountain's summit, which, looking up, was so thick that it could cause an avalanche.

"Welcome to Mt. Snowhead, fellas," the operator announced as we steadily ascended the mountain face, following the gondola cables as our guide. "In the winter we have a booming ski business; might come sooner this year, if this snow's here to stay."

"You aren't going to get anybody to come up here with those clouds," Tatl reminded him as she stared down at the flat surface of the clouds, which seemed to surround the mountain range for miles in every direction as if they were the flat land around the base themselves.

"This isn't good." The operator pointed up at a single grey oval high in the sky above us, slowly circling the highest pinnacle of the mountain. "There's only one zepplin left. Out of ten. The only reason it isn't gone yet is probably in case the others resurface."

I moaned. "This isn't a normal day, is it?"

He shook his head. "Not at all, kid. We need to get to the station pronto and get a ride out of here. With conditions like these, it isn't safe to have you two up here. We haven't even blocked off the avalanche areas yet."

I gulped. I had almost forgotten that Saria was somewhere up here. "How far are we from the station?"

"We're just about..." We came up over a clifftop and arrived in a sort of flat vale inbetween Mt. Snowhead's peaks. "...here."

"_Please_ don't tell me this is Mountain Village," Tatl groaned.

"I'm afraid it is," the operator whispered, removing his hat. The village, virtually identical in style to a miniature version of the area at the base of the mountain, was completely deserted. There wasn't a living soul around; with the silence, I'd judge the entire vale was empty. "Where is everybody?"

"I don't think you want to know the answer," I uttered, nudging him and pointing at the many pawprints in the snow. I could recognize those anywhere—the Lost Woods had its own fair share of them. "White Wolfos. A whole pack, I'd guess."

"Well, that does it!" the operator announced with a start. "These mountains are too dangerous for tourists. Kid, you find something to do; I'm going to start trying to get the gondola up here. It could take a while." He pointed at a smoking red box near the closest tower. "Looks like the emergency control box is busted. Good thing I'm an engineer."

"Great," I sighed. "We're stuck."

"Psst," Tatl nudged. She pointed at something towards the other end of the village. I couldn't see it very well at first. Squinting, I was able to make out an ovular stone, similar in shape to a giant egg, with a strange design on it that looked like an eye. There were blotches of blood caked on its sides.

"Hey, that—" I began before Tatl shushed me, motioning towards the operator. In a lower voice, I continued, "That looks almost like a Gossip Stone." Gossip Stones were menhirs used by the Sheikah in Hyrule to keep an eye on the kingdom. Saria had told me about them when I showed her my Lens of Truth. "Wait a second..." I whispered.

With perfect timing, the operator left us to get something. As soon as he left, we got ourselves to a different location, trudging carefully through the snow with our eyes peeled for White Wolfos. When we were out of the way of the tower, I started rummaging through my things. "You know," I remarked, "I completely forgot about this thing."

Carefully, I pulled out a violet-framed looking glass, with lens as red as blood. The center of the lens was even more saturated than the rest, giving it the appearance of an eye. Engraved on the handle of the looking glass were the words "Lens of Truth."

I had found the Lens of Truth on my last adventure, just a year ago (it was my first time traveling back in time). They were at the bottom of a well in Kakariko Village. When I first looked through them, I had been met with the frightening sight of Bongo Bongo's eye, staring straight into mine. The looking glass allows whoever looks through it to see things normally invisible to the naked eye. I wondered what I might see if I looked through it now.

"Ah!" I yelped, almost dropping the Lens of Truth and accidentally alerting the operator. Through the looking glass I had seen a Goron, only it was see-through and quite scary-looking. Was it a ghost? Warily, I looked through the glass again. He was still there, a sad-looking man whose short legs didn't even touch the ground. Like most Gorons, he looked as if he was almost made of rock, with coarse, jagged skin, prominent muscles, and a chiseled shape that left him looking like a statue if it weren't for his expanding and contrasting lungs. This Goron had bristly hair all around his head, which only served to highlight his frowning face. Dark rings underneath his eyes told me he had very little sleep, if any at all.

I was about ready to get the heck out of there, but he rose a hand and softly cried out, "Wait, can you see me? Please don't go! I... I'm all alone!"

"Who are you?" I demanded, backing away cautiously, ready to grab my sword at any time. Gorons were generally docile creatures, but this wasn't an ordinary Goron.

"My name is Darmani," the Goron answered. "Please don't go! You're the first person to see me since I died. My friends, my family... I can't say good-bye to any of them!"

I slowed. "A-Are you a ghost?"

He nodded. "I should have explained. I'm the ghost of Darmani, the greatest Goron warrior in all history."

"If you're so great, how did you die?"

"I was killed, no sooner than yesterday."

"Y-Yesterday? By who, or what? An imp?"

Darmani shook his head. "There is far worse than an imp lurking about on the summit of Mt. Snowhead. I've never seen anything like it—it was like a goat, but made out of metal instead of fur. I was sent up there to find the source of this horrible weather—our primary temple, the Temple of Darunia at the mountain's summit, seems to be where it hails—but before I could discover anything, I was attacked by that strange creature. If you could call it a creature, anyway."

"Who are you talking to?" Tatl demanded of me. "Are you going crazy or something? Should I be concerned?"

"Shh!" I hushed. "You'll never believe it, but there's a ghost floating just a few feet from us. I'm talking to it."

"A _ghost_!" the fairy squealed. She darted underneath my hat. "I hate ghosts!"

"Anyway," I sighed, returning my attention to the Goron ghost, "don't you think that goat thing is the culprit then, if you've never seen it before?"

Darmani shook his transparent head. "Certainly not. I'd think a strange, pointy-eared Termanian such as you would understand that goats are not capable of bringing an early winter to the mountains at Snowhead."

"True..."

"I do not know what has caused this horror; all I know is that I failed my people. The last thing I thought about as I fell down the Volvus Ravine to my death was the poor Prince Ramblus, freezing in the cold, crying for all the Gorons we've lost already to the weather. It isn't just an early winter—it is the worst winter we've had in decades."

"I'm sorry to hear that." For a moment, both of us were silent. It was so quiet that I fancied I could even hear the shivering of Tatl under my hat. After a while, I decided to break the ice. "You know, this is my first time speaking to a dead person. Well, at least one who isn't trying to kill me," I added with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh?" Darmani remarked. "You are a man of adventure yourself? A scrawny kid like you?"

"Hey!" I snapped in defense. "I'll have you know that I've saved an entire kingdom before. How do you think I got this looking glass that lets me see you? I found it in the most wretched of wells, closer than I'd ever been to the Underworld, working my butt off to save a whole kingdom from an evil King of Thieves."

"Hey, there!" Darmani assured, raising his hands in a gesture of docility. "I know what you mean; sometimes people don't believe my _own_ stories. I hear you loud and clear; I'm just surprised that somebody of your...musculature was able to do it. But I guess there are things that even the Great Darmani cannot conceive."

I liked this guy. He didn't seem to realize what an insult it was that he was saying, but otherwise I certainly liked him. "What's it like being a ghost?" I asked.

"I'm sure you'll find out one day," Darmani sighed, his somber face returning. His whole body seemed to droop towards the snow. "Hopefully later rather than sooner. It is a terrible feeling—if you could call it that. You can't actually feel anything, as if all the nerves in your body vanished. At the same time, all you feel in your head is a constant feeling of regret, knowing that you failed your people and they'll probably either forget about you or remember you in infamy. Nobody can see you, and you wander the world seeking a solution to your troubles. Not everybody becomes a ghost. Only the ones whose troubles don't have a solution. That is why I am cursed to wander the world of the living, watching as my own people die."

"The weather doesn't seem _that_ bad," I admitted doubtingly.

"Not _here_; but that is merely because it hasn't hit yet. I warn you, there is a horrible blizzard coming this way, straight from Mt. Snowhead itself."

"Can't you see what's causing the trouble now that you're a ghost?"

Darmani shook his head. "Not a single peek. There's some sort of evil energy surrounding Mt. Snowhead; as a ghost, it is as if there is a great force-field blocking my passage. The only breakthrough I've had so far was last night, when for the first time in decades I saw the lights of the Great Chamber turn on inside the temple. All that managed to do, though, was tell me that whatever evil is causing this cold wave is coming from there."

At last, I thought, somebody who knows how to give me information. I didn't have to squeeze facts out of unsuspecting people as I did in the south; Darmani willingly just came out and told me the status of the situation, in the kind of language warriors used to get a point across. Unfortunately, though, Mt. Snowhead was not my concern. "It's been a pleasure talking to you, Darmani," I bowed. "I'm sorry, though, but I need to go now. There's a girl I'm looking for, and from what you've told me it is urgent that I find her before the weather does."

"What? You're leaving?" Darmani almost seemed to be on the verge of tears. "You can't just leave me! You're the first person I've talked to since I died! I have so much to say... None of the Gorons even know I'm dead yet!"

"I'll be sure to tell them." I started to turn, but Darmani blocked my path.

"I'm begging you! You _have_ to help me! I may seem dead, but my soul is still very wounded. It's alright if you go to find your friend—just, please help me first! I just need to be healed! Then maybe I can leave this world."

"I'm sorry," I growled, "but I just don't know how to heal a ghost. I can't help the dead—that's something only the gods can do, and believe me, they can do it." Uncomfortable memories of Bongo Bongo ran through my head, and I shuddered at the memory of how he raised an entire army of Stalfos prior to the Battle of Kakariko (as I now called it; I missed it, of course, but from the stories Impa and Shiek told me it was certainly a battle for the history books).

"Link!" Tatl hissed into my ear. "You idiot! You have _exactly_ what he needs! You know... A tool of the gods to heal a person's soul? To change a person?"

I blinked. "Hold up, Darmani," I gasped. "I think I _can_ help you."

"Can you really?" the ghost asked meekly.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Just sit tight and listen to the song I play."

Darmani didn't seem to know what to think about me playing a song for him, but waited politely as I gently set the Lens of Truth down on the snow and pulled out Saria's ocarina. It had been a while since I had heard the song that brought me my body back, but its familiarity was enough for me to remember it. I played the Song of Healing on my ocarina, putting emphasis on every note, hoping that that would give it the full effect. Slowly as I played, Darmani's ghost began to materialize before my eyes, even with the Lens of Truth gone. Tatl squealed and hid herself again, but I kept playing.

Just as soon as he appeared, though, Darmani faded. "I... I feel better already!" he cheered. "Thank you so much, young hero! Good luck finding your friend!" With that, he vanished. I stopped playing the song and stood in awe for a moment, taking in what I had just done. Then my eyes fell to the snow to pick up my Lens of Truth, but in doing so I discovered something new.

A brown mask, identical in every way to Darmani's face, lay nestled in the snow directly beside my Lens of Truth. "Another mask?" I gasped, picking both items up. I put away my Lens of Truth and started investigating the mask, looking at it from all angles. "A...Goron Mask?" I held it in front of my face so that it looked as if Darmani was staring straight into my eyes. "...I wonder..." With a brief moment of hestitation, I turned the mask around and brought it over my face.

The moment its edges came into contact with the sides of my skull, a burning pain exploded in my body, and I screamed out in agony. As a reflex I dropped the sides of the mask, but it stuck to my face like glue—I was amazed I could even scream, until I realized my screams were going straight through the mask. Raising my hands to my mouth, I found it moving perfectly normal—however, the thick lips and square jaw, not to mention the rough texture of the skin around it, told me that they weren't my own. The mask around my mouth had vanished.

My arms and chest felt like they were about to explode, as if they were suddenly too small to contain all the organs inside of me. I clutched my arms in pain, crying out as I felt them double in size like a balloon inflating. I felt a great kickback, like my rib cage blowing up like a piece of paper blocking off the nozzle of a cannon, and realized my chest, too, had doubled in size. Feeling it, I felt new muscles I never had before, so firm and defined that it was as if I was the strongest person in the world. My legs expanded too, to an extent, but for the most part remained the same. I didn't notice it then, but my entire top half of my clothing had vanished.

The greatest pain of all, though, had yet to come. The many jagged spikes and bumps launching themselves from my back felt like I was being set on fire, and I collapsed into the snow in an effort to soothe the pain. I felt long, bristly hair sprout all around my face, replacing my own in the process, and Tatl gave a yelp of fright as her nest underneath my hat suddenly changed. I could hear my own cries deepening, until they were in a voice so low only a Goron could make them. When sight came to me, I felt myself over—I felt decades older, as if I were a middle-aged man, and I wasn't exactly sure what happened. As soon as I felt my back, though, I knew exactly what I was—a Goron. Rubbing my skin was like rubbing my hand against a rock (something which I actually became curious as to the taste of), and I winced as my finger passed over a sharp, pointy bump no different than a rugged layer of bedrock covering my back. From the looks of my hair, though, not to mention the prominent scar going across my chest, I was a carbon copy of Darmani.

"Tatl, I'm... I'm a Goron!" I cried. I sounded exactly like Darmani—only the way I talked was different.

"Yeah, I can tell," Tatl grumbled. "I guess any mask that song creates turns you into something."

"What's this? I thought I passed on!" For a moment, I thought I had said that. But then I realized that that time, Darmani's voice had come from inside my mind.

_Darmani, is that you?_ I mentally asked.

"Is that you, young hero? Where are you?"

_You'll never believe this... But I think I'm inside your body!_

"Hmm... Well, I guess I'm not entirely free to join the afterlife yet. That was a magical song you played, wasn't it?"

_Yeah. It was the Song of Healing._

"Was it, now? Well, whatever its name was, it seems like you and I are stuck together until Snowhead is saved."

I nodded. I was a lot taller now that I was a middle-aged Goron, and as I nodded I happened to see something I couldn't see before, on the other side of a boulder. To my excitement, it was a cabin—a cabin with its lights on. "Tatl!" I exclaimed, almost blowing her away with my hearty Goron cheer. "Somebody's here!"

"You planning on talking to these folks?" Darmani asked. "I'd better leave, then. We Gorons don't get along with these resort people very well."

_Okay, let's see if I can help with that,_ I thought. Reaching around the sides of my face, I found thin grooves, just barely existent. Grasping the grooves and pulling away from my face, I suddenly felt a whole lot shorter, and in seconds the boulder blocked my view. In my hands were the edges of the Goron Mask, Darmani's face smiling quaintly.

"What are we waiting for?" Tatl called, already half way to the cabin. "Let's get inside, I'm freezing!"

* * *

"...and that's what happened, huh?" Zubora asked, raising a steaming cup of coffee to his calm lips. He grinned slightly. "Can't say I envy you, kid. Not one bit." He leaned back in his old canapé and took a sip. His legs were straddled out on top of his low tea table, his free arm resting casually along the top of the couch, covering up a small hole in its fabric. Zubora was dressed in a tight business suit bordering on the line of casual, with a white bandana wrapped around his forehead like a hat. His raggedy pants stretched halfway down his lower leg, which would have been bare to the end of his toes if it weren't for the sandals he wore. Despite his ragged appearance, the torn sleeves of his suit, or rather, the holes at the shoulders where sleeves should have began, revealed finely-toned muscles all the way down his arms. The sly grin, coupled with a slight squinting of his already squinted eyes, were complimented by a small, unshaven goatee.

"Gabora," Zubora suddenly commanded, snapping the fingers on his free hand. "Get our client a cup of Joe! I want him to feel comfortable after his long journey!"

A giant of a man, dwarving even the Gorons, grunted in the back of the office. He was all muscle, as if that was all he was made out of, and his large size was practically doubled by the enormity of his arms. He only wore a tight pair of pants, no shoes or shirt or anything else but a pair of grease-covered gloves. Gabora's enigmatic appearance was emphasized perhaps greatest at his head, which was completely covered in an iron mask. Only a single, diseased-looking eye peeked out from the otherwise-sealed helmet.

"Do you want caffinated or decaf, kid?" Zubora quickly asked aside to me.

I shook my head. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't drink coffee."

Zubora blinked in surprise. "Don't drink _coffee_? No wonder you're in such a pickle." He snapped his finger again. "Gabora! You heard the man! Let's bring him a hot chocolate, on the double!"

Before I had time to try and decipher the unintelligible grunts coming out of Gabora's helmet, I found myself staring at a hand almost as big as my entire body, trembling as it tried in vain to politely hand me a small cup of hot chocolate on a dish. "Th-Thank you," I managed, looking timidly up at Gabora's empty face.

"Listen to this! The kid's a gentleman!" Zubora exclaimed. He waved his hands at the giant. "Hear that, Gabora, he's thanking you! That means you can scram!" Gabora hung his head, grunted something, and left through a giant door to the side of the small door I had come in from.

Zubora and Gabora were the owners of the cabin I discovered. As soon as I was at their doorstep, Zubora had yanked me inside, and I was immediately sat down and pampered. Zubora had wasted little time with introductions, and had been eager to hear my story. Now, though, I felt like things were going in a direction I wasn't willing to take. I had to stay focused.

"Zubora," I inquired, "have you seen a girl up here during the past few days?"

Zubora gave me a very sly grin, like that on a fox. "Oh, I assure you, I've seen many girls up here lately. Are you...looking for someone?"

I nodded, oblivious to what he was hinting at. "Yes, I am. A girl about my age, dressed entirely in green, with green hair and a red fairy."

Zubora held a hand up. "Hold it, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. You're talking like I'm a charity foundation, handing out money like a fountain gives out water. I'll have you know, I, uh, _specialize_ in lost and found. I lose things, and I find them. You want the service too? It'll cost ya."

I was about to object when he hushed me. "Whoa there, don't get upset! I'm not gonna rip you off or anything. Just relax, get comfortable. See the chair you're sitting in?" I nodded. I was sitting in a bumpy armchair, colors so faded that it looked grey. "I'll have you know I purchased that from the finest furnisher in Clock Town. The salesman put up a red flag, he insisted, 'No, no, this is for the politicians! We don't serve blacksmiths here.' But I told him, 'I want the best thing you have for my customers, and this it it! I won't leave until I have what my clients want the most!' I drove a hard bargain, but he in the end offered to give me this state-of-the-art Zoran Floray. Because we here at Zubora and Gabora's understand that you—the client—are the most imporant thing on the whole mountain!"

"So," I asked nervously, "how much are you asking for?"

"Hmm, for a child like you? How about the kid's discount? Parents love it. You can have your information for 30 Rupees, how's that sound?"

Personally, I thought it was atrocious that I was paying anything at all. But every single Rupee I had was worth losing if they helped me get my Saria back. "Thank you very much," I said hollowly.

Zubora quickly pocketed the finances. "Oh, I assure you," he replied, "the pleasure is _mine_." He clapped his hands. "Now, then, who did you say you were looking for? A green girl, about your age?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, that's her! Her name is Saria and—"

"Never seen her," Zubora reported flatly. "A girl in green? Sheesh! Where do you think we are, Koholint Island?" There was a loud grunt from the other side of the big door. Zubora's eyes widened, as if he understood it. "What's that, Gabora?" he asked. "You've seen her? Where?" Another grunt. "By the Twin Lakes? Oh dear."

"What?" I demanded.

"Gabora says Saria was seen going in the direction of the Twin Lakes. That's Goron territory, and if there's one thing the Gorons hate, its tourists. Not to mention, the lakes are home to a large pack of White Wolfos. If she was heading to the Goron Village, she'll be in for trouble."

I burst out of my chair. "I have to save her, now!" I cried. "Please, tell me, which way is it to the Goron Village?"

"Whoa, whoa, settle down, kid!" Zubora shushed. "No need to get excited." There was a glint of light in his eye. "At least, as long as you're armed with the latest weaponry. Those White Wolfos won't stand a chance to your Razor Sword."

I blinked. "But... I... I don't have a Razor Sword..."

Zubora gawked. "You _don't_! By Farore's Book, you'll die if you go out there!"

"What am I going to do?"

Zubora rose a finger. "Here, how about this? Pay me some tiny amount...say, 100 Rupees...I'll have Gabora reforge your sword in less than an hour! No big deal. It's the only fun he ever has everyday. We'd better hurry, though. With every second we wait, that's one more second for the Wolfos to attack her. She could be needing you, right now!" He jumped from his seat and held out his hands. "Quick, give me the sword and 100 Rupees! I'm sure that'll be enough to persuade Gabora to lend us a hand."

I nodded and hurriedly seized my Kokiri Sword's sheath and a Silver Rupee from my wallet and thrust them both into Zubora's clutches. "Please, hurry!" I pleaded.

"Don't worry, kid," Zubora smiled. "We'll have you out of here in no time!"

* * *

I was off as soon as I had my hand around the hilt of the Razor Sword. I trudged through the snow, clutching my elbows trying to keep my heart warm. I didn't know which way to go, but every bit of instinct in my brain told me Saria was there, somewhere, in the mountains, and I had to find her. Tatl tried to convince me to turn back, but my mind was made up: I'd find my Saria, or I'd die trying.

The hours passed. We crossed traverses high above the ground, where one false step would send us tumbling to our doom. We slipped under rocky arches, and slid down icy slopes, I keeping every molecule of my eye on the search for my green angel. Tatl hid in my hat for warmth, a luxury I wasn't able to share. With every hour I grew colder and colder, and by the time it began to get dark I was still out in the middle of nowhere, hiking along the side of a mountain with no chance of ever finding my way back. A new thought crossed me. Even if I found Saria, unless I could find shelter we'd die anyway. Perhaps I had just sent myself to my death.

The weather got worse, and as the sun began to set a horrible blizzard came down upon us. Tatl recommended that I put on the Goron Mask, to at least make use of the Goron's hard skin, but I refused. If Saria didn't recognize me, I explained, she might not call out for me.

The snow became deeper and deeper, and it became harder and harder to see. "Saria!" I called in vain. "Saria, where are you?" There was no answer. I took another step forward, and suddenly found myself falling into snow that was waist-high. There was no way I'd manage getting anywhere in such high snow, and I could feel my feet already begin to approach hypothermia. But, I reminded myself, whatever the conditions were for me, they were surely worse for Saria. I'd have to keep going.

Finally the sun set, and the mountains turned into a giant freezer. Every last bit of warmth vanished, and Tatl and I were left in the darkness desperately trying to keep ourselves from freezing while trudging in snow now going up to my mid-chest. "Saria!" I screamed, my energy draining. "Please answer!" The mountain suddenly seemed to rumble. I struggled to wipe the snow off of my face and get a decent look of my surroundings, but it was no use. "What is that?" I cried.

Tatl peeked out of my hat. "Link!" she cried angrily. "You've caused an avalanche!"

"An avalanche? What's that?"

"You don't know what a...! Link, there's a wall of snow falling down towards us from the top of the mountain! You have to run!"

I tried to move quickly, but my boots were stuck underneath the heavy snow. "Tatl, I can't move!"

"You have to try! Hurry! Hurr—!"

With a crash that felt like being hit by a boulder, the thickest pile of snow I had ever felt slammed into my side, and everything went black. Tatl and I tumbled down the mountain, buried in snow and unable to scream or even breathe. An image of Saria flashed in my mind, weeping for my death. I had failed.

* * *

I woke up in a warm hospital bed. Many Gorons were crowding around me. Their rock-like bodies loomed over me like vultures, watching and waiting for me to die. Fortunately, though, my wake brought smiles to their trembling lips. The hospital, I realized, was almost as cold as the mountain—lucky me that the bed was warm. It seemed that, in case that weren't enough, there was a steaming mug of hot chocolate on the side of the bed.

"Where am I?" I groaned weakly. I tried to get up, but couldn't.

"Just relax, sir," one Goron hushed. "You are in the Weather Shelter a few ravines away from Mt. Snowhead."

"Weather... Weather Shelter...?"

"You're really lucky. That avalanche hit the side of our shelter; if we hadn't come to investigate, you probably would have froze and died. It's funny, though, you aren't the first person in such a strange outfit to wind up on our doorstep."

My heart skipped a beat. "What! You mean... There's another..." I struggled to get up, but couldn't even sit up. "Please, tell me, is there a girl with green hair here?"

"Calm down!" the Goron ordered. "You don't realize how close to frostbite you came. Your body has to heal!"

"To Majora with healing!" I snarled. "You have to tell me! Is she here? Is she safe? Is Saria safe?"

The Gorons whispered to each other. "Yes," the first one answered me. "The green-haired one is in good hands. We found her lying in front of our door just a day ago. She's in her quarters right now, I believe. Do you know her?"

I smiled and relaxed. Finally, I'd found her. "Yeah..." I answered with a deep, satisfying exhale. "She's my girlfriend."

The Gorons whispered to each other again. "If you'd like, I can take you to visit her. If you two are that close, we absolutely must witness the reunion."

The Gorons took me to a narrow hallway, lit only by lanterns on the ceiling. It was incredibly cozy, despite its tunnel-like appearance. I smiled the entire way. Eventually, I was brought to a small, wooden purple door. "Is this the place?" I whispered, almost intimidated by it all. It was that jump of anticipation one gets, whenever a task is just about to be completed.

The Goron on my right nodded. "Knock and see if she's there!"

I took a deep breath, tidied up my hair, straightened my back, and knocked firmly on the door. My heart was pounding as if it were about to burst out of my chest at any minute. Even though the tunnel was cold, I was sweating a little. I held my breath and waited for an answer. After seconds that felt like hours, my heart skipped a beat as I saw the doorknob twist.

The purple gate swung gracefully open, and then my heart really did burst out of my chest—and right into her's. The most beautiful young woman ever to grace the goddesses with her presence blossomed in the doorway, the entire world around us melting away as she did. For a moment, it was only us, all alone in the universe, just how we wanted it. I searched furiously for words. But my voice, that mischievous thing, came up with its own dialogue. "S-Saria," I stuttered, my eyes watering as at last I heard that magical name in peace. Without another word, I fell forward and swung my arms around her green fleece, embracing her tightly and swearing to the gods that I would never lose her again.

And then Saria flung me against the other wall of the tunnel, and it all came crashing down. With the fiercest, most vicious face I'd ever seen on her face, she screamed, "Who the heck are you, you creep!" and slammed the door.

* * *

**A Note from the Author:** It is so nice to be writing a romantic story again. It really gives me a chance to create vivid atmospheres and intricate symbolism, something I can't focus on in an adventure like Sovereign Swamped.

I love it when Link romances about Saria, it's so sweet. As I pointed out in Phantom Destiny, I really think Link loved Saria in Ocarina of Time, not Zelda or Malon. I should add that the idea for _writing_ Phantom Destiny was thanks to ThatFanFicGuy, who after reading another one of my stories requested a story with LinkxSaria. Because Cold Heart is the spiritual sequel to Phantom Destiny, I think it makes sense that I should recognize him again.

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I would really appreciate it if you'd write a review before leaving. I read and respond to every review I get, so don't feel like your opinion doesn't matter!


	2. The Girl

**A Note from the Author:** Finally, right? This took so long because it was originally going to include a few subplots and such; but last night I decided that if I were to include them then this would wind up being one gigantic chapter like the latter two in _Sovereign Swamped_, and I wanted to avoid that. So I kept things straight forward and fast-paced, for your convenience. There's quite a few charming scenes in here-keep an eye out for them. Link also introspects or reflects from time to time, which may or may not trip you up, but at least if you're conscious of it there should be no big problems. I know it has been a long wait since February-but I promise it was worth the wait. Stay tuned for Part III!

Also, it seems that for whatever reason didn't recognize the single-hyphen breaks I used to divide segments, so I did my best to re-insert them. I'm pretty sure I didn't miss any, but if it seems I did, just let me know. Actually, looking at all my other works, for some reason has removed all of the breaks. Have I just been oblivious to this, or is this a new problem? It won't accept any lines with just hyphens in them, so for this chapter I'm replacing my single-hyphen breaks with the long breaks such as the one below. Let me know if this is a recurring problem.

As always, please write a review when you've finished reading! They are taken to heart, encourage me to keep up the series, and I respond to every one of them.

* * *

**Part II ~ The Girl**

I cried the moment she was out of sight. For a moment I couldn't believe it. But when I finally understood what happened, I died. I ran all the way back to my chambers and just collapsed onto the bed I was provided, burrowing my face into the pillows and screaming into them with misery. Is this what I had fought so hard to find? For all I knew, she could have been no different than the Twinrova Sisters, and could be a completely different Saria.

I felt like my entire life was wasted. I couldn't live if Saria detested me. I'd rather die than be without her. When I at last rose my head from the cushion, I hugged it in my arms and did nothing else but sit there on top of the bed, staring into space and wishing to all the goddesses that this was just a dream, a nightmare, and that when I stepped out of the room she'd be back to her normal self.

For almost all my life, Saria had been my guide. Even after I met Navi, very little changed; her sagely advice was something I'd take to my grave. I could remember smugly how often Mido would hit on the Forest Sage-to-Be, falsely believing her heart to travel with his. In the Forest Temple, six years in the future, Saria and I revealed our hearts to each other, and though the events in the art museum have been forgotten now I came to her again and she accepted. Since losing Navi, there hasn't been a day where I've been without her—at least until this Halloween. I knew by now from the Forest Temple that I'd do absolutely anything to have Saria—and this would be no exception. "If she doesn't remember me," I told myself, "I'll just have to _make_ her remember." I couldn't let my emotions ruin this for me. I had two days to remind her I was the person she shared an ocarina with last year (come to think of it, it was the same ocarina that I now have in my possession).

My tears did not stop, but I told myself I'd have to be brave and solve this problem rather than grieve over it. I'd be betraying Saria, Navi, and Farore if I gave into my emotions. I cried myself to sleep, but I hoped my dreams would bring me a plan.

* * *

"We aren't far now," I reassured Navi, though it was for the twentieth time. I had gotten lost, but if I told her I'd never hear the end of it. I was so sure of myself upon entering the Forest Maze; my pride was now at stake.

"Link, we've been here three times already!" Navi complained. "Just let me fly up and see which way to go!"

"For the last time, no!" I snapped. "I want to do this by myself! It... It means a lot to me!"

"So who is this Saria person?" she asked, changing the subject. "We met her a bit before visiting the Deku Tree, didn't we?"

"Picture a white flower, surrounded by dark grass on a clear, starry night. The moon's light shines straight on the flower, and in the light it shimmers as if it is the source of the glow, not the moon. That's who Saria is—the Flower of the Lost Woods."

"Flower?" Navi repeated with a wry grin, landing on my shoulder. "How well do you know this girl?"

"She's my best friend," I answered proudly. Anything that set me above Mido was a good thing. "I've known her as long as I can remember. She taught me everything I know... And she also is the only one who will stick up to Mido when he's abusing me. She's...a really wonderful person." I could feel my cheeks turning red. I prayed Navi wouldn't notice. "Probably the best one in the entire forest."

"It's great that you've had a friend like that. Did she help you out when you didn't have me?"

I nodded. "Though you've proven to be a lot more like a fairy than she," I added with a wink.

"How do you think she'll react when you tell her the Gorons like her song?"

"I think she'll be ecstatic. It'll be good for her—she needs a bigger audience than just Kokiri. There aren't enough of us, and it doesn't help that the Skull Kids hate ocarinas." I itched my nose. "She's always talked fondly of the Gorons, too, so it'll be a pleasant reminder that there are people outside the Lost Woods that think fondly of _us_."

A Deku Scrub rose suddenly in front of us. I hadn't noticed the ersatz pile of leaves, so out of place in August, and had almost stepped right on top of it. "And _where_ do you think _you're_ going, forest sprite?" he demanded rudely. "This maze isn't for the likes of you!"

The scrub's dangerous nozzle didn't frighten me. Puffing my chest out, I announced, "_I_ am on my way to see Saria! She's at the other end of this maze, Deku Scrub."

"I don't care if you're here to see the Duke of Hylia, I'm not letting you through. This is Deku land, forest sprite."

I groaned. Since the death of the Deku Tree, tension had begun to boil between the Kokiri and the Deku. Even though the Deku Tree was _our_ patron god, he shared the same wood as the Deku Scrubs, and his death was taken very personally by some Deku. Not to say that my mind wasn't still whirling about it; it was because of the God of Earth that I was in this mess with Princess Zelda, not to mention the trauma of witnessing his death. Mido never let me hear the end of it. He was convinced I had killed the Great Deku Tree. It was a logical conclusion—I had been the last to pass into his meadow before he passed away—but it was just not true. How could I ever kill the tree that gave me life? Impossible.

"Look," Navi pointed out to the Deku Scrub, breaking my thoughts, "if you didn't already hear him, a Kokiri's already passed through here not too long ago. You certainly seem to have let _her_ pass."

The Deku Scrub seemed a little flustered. His glowing eyes flickered for a moment, and he looked around as if searching for some clue as to how to respond.

"Yeah," I seconded, hoping that my support for Navi's accusation would get us somewhere. It probably didn't need to have been said, but I said it anyway.

"Well..." The poor Deku looked like his head was going to explode. Sorta. Saria seemed to empathize with them easily, but I personally couldn't tell much about Dekus just from how they looked. Was that twitching of the nozzle a puzzlement, or a threat? I wasn't one to say.

It must have been puzzlement, though, because the Deku Scrub quickly retreated. "Tree killer!" he spat before running back into his leafy burrow.

Insults normally don't hit me very hard—too much of Mido for me to be fragile—but that one kind of hurt. My shoulders went limp, and rather than progress, I stood where I was for a moment. "Navi?" I sighed mellowly. "When will people stop blaming me for what happened?"

"I can't really say," Navi quietly replied, landing gracefully on my shoulder. "I suppose it would have been nice if the Great Deku Tree had left us in better circumstances."

"I just... It hurts, when your friends turn on you and call you a murderer and all. I wish it would stop..."

"I do too, Link, I do too."

We didn't speak for a while as we continued to wander the forest maze. Both of us were deep in thought. It was a pleasant surprise for the both of us when, turning a corner, we discovered the Forest Checkpoint, a straight tunnel leading towards the Sacred Forest Meadow. "At last!" I cheered. "_Now_ we're getting somewhere!" Navi jumped off my shoulder just in time to avoid being thrown off as I ran across the flat terrace towards a set of ancient stairs. I climbed those stairs with such vigor that the sound my boots made on their stony surface was like a crowd, cheering me onwards. And at the end, the award...

"Saria!" I joyfully announced. "Guess who's back?"

Saria, a peaceful lily floating on a babbling creek, sat elegantly on a tree stump, legs crossed, merrily playing away on an ocarina. The sight of it was a bit of a contradiction. Quickly, trying to figure out this mystery, or convince myself that I was remembering things correctly, I drew an ocarina from my pocket. Sure enough, it was unmistakably Saria's.

"Saria," I questioned, stumbling for a second when her eyes connected with mine, "is that...but I have..."

Instantly, a bright row of white flashed at me. "Link, you silly goose, did you think I only had one?" she laughed. "A real musician always keeps a spare. Though, I must admit, this one doesn't play as well as the one I gave you," she added, pretending to examine her instrument.

"Do you want to switch?" I offered, stopping about a foot away from her. "I'm not very good, I'd hate to play the better one at your expense."

Saria waved me off. "No, no, that ocarina was a gift. I knew what I was giving up when I placed it in your hands; and I still think I made the right choice." She set her ocarina down on the trunk and patted the wood to her side. "Come, sit!" she invited. "We have a lot to talk about!"

I very happily placed myself on the trunk right next to her, grinning from ear to ear. It was so nice to see her again; it had only been a few days since I'd left Kokiri Forest, but it felt like a millennium. Taking in a deep breath, I could smell that wonderful pine scent she always seemed to have, no matter what the circumstances. A skunk could blast her with all the foulness in the world, and she'd still smell crisp and fresh.

Saria pulled her legs upwards and rested her heels against the trunk's edge, wrapping her arms around her knees to keep it all from falling down. "So, 'Boy-No-Longer-Without-a-Fairy,' what was it like outside the Lost Woods? For once, you seem to know more about it than me!"

I chuckled. "Oh, I doubt that. But outside of the Lost Woods... It's..." I struggled for the right words to describe it. "It's..._different_. There are almost no trees at all; just empty expanses of grass, going off for miles." Saria nodded, eyes shining with intrigue and amazement. "The sun seemed to chase me everywhere I went. You never realize how wonderful the shade of the forest is until it is gone." I couldn't help feeling wise as I said that. It was an experience only I could have; something only I could know about. No other Kokiri had even laid eyes on the outside world...at least, as far as I knew.

"And what was this grassy realm called?" Saria inquired, already spellbound. "Surely the Hylians must have a name for it."

"They call it a 'field,'" I answered. "I think there are more than just one field, though, because they also had to give this field a name. Nothing interesting—just 'Hyrule Field.' According to the people I met in the north, Hyrule Field is the center of their whole kingdom."

"Well, I could have told you _that_," Saria teased. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I have. I knew Hyrule Field was their centerpiece; it's just nice to know exactly what Hyrule Field _is_ now."

"Yes, yes," I snapped, rolling my eyes, "Navi, Tuto, and I all know that you know everything there is to know about everything. How could I ever forget?"

"Stop it!" She pushed my arm playfully. "You know I'm not like that!" She looked up at the red fairy circling merrily around her, talking quietly with Navi. "Am I, Tuto?" Tuto stopped mid-sentence and looked down at us. A very suspicious smile was winding its way on his face. "What's that smile supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Tuto hummed. "Nothing at all."

"Well, then, tell him I'm not Ms. Know-It-All!"

Tuto nodded. "She's right, Link. The Know-It-All Brothers are her cousins, but that's about it."

"Aw, what do you know?" I scoffed.

"Uh, everything about me?" Saria laughed. "He's my _fairy_, after all. It's not like I've ever been more than a few feet away from him or anything."

"Okay, okay, I give up!" We giggled together for a minute. Looking into each other's bright, shining eyes, we both thought the same thing: how great it was to be together again. "Wow," I managed when our funny bone began to calm down. "It's so wonderful to see you again, Saria."

"Same to you, my dearest of friends," she replied. "Why did you return, though? Is something wrong? I thought you left to go help a princess with something or another."

"I'm still in the process of helping her," I corrected. "But the chief of the Gorons won't budge unless I wow him with something invigorating."

"The _chief_ of the _Gorons_!" Saria gasped. "Link, you talk as if it were nothing! By Farore's Book, how I've dreamed of the Gorons! What are they like? Are the friendly? Do they really eat rocks? How big are they?"

"Yes, yes, and really big," I answered. "They're really nice, and really laid-back. They were practically just laying about when I entered their city. The Gorons are in a bit of a sticky situation, though. This man, named Ganondorf, sealed the cave full of their food. And he put a bunch of Goron-eating lizards inside the cave just in case the boulder were removed. The poor Gorons are starving now, because they've fallen in love with the rocks in the cave too much to eat anything else."

Saria drew in a deep breath. "Oh," she swallowed. "I see. Those poor things. Can you do anything to help them?"

I half-nodded. "I think I might be able to do _something_. I just don't know what." I swung a leg over the side of the trunk and rested my foot on its surface. "It all depends on what the chief says."

"And he's not cooperating, I'm guessing?"

I shook my head glumly. "Nope. To even see him I had to pronounce myself a messenger of Hyrule's king. He laughed and sent me away the moment he got a look at me." I managed to put on a happier face. Taking Saria's hands and holding them close to my chest, I looked into her shining green eyes and quietly whispered, "Guess what?"

"What?" she whispered back, just as softly.

"Your song... You'd never believe this... The Gorons actually know your song!"

I couldn't tell if Saria was flattered or flustered. She seemed to blink a million times, stuttering this and that and trying to come up with some sort of response. I felt my heart flutter; I'd been waiting to tell her this ever since returning to the Lost Woods.

"And...what do they think of it?" she managed at last.

I grinned ear to ear. "They love it, Saria. They love it!" I could see her cheeks flare up like a rose, her mouth drop like the leaves of a tree in autumn. I gently squeezed her hands. "Can you believe that, Saria? Rock people, miles away from here, giants among men...and they've turned your song into a national obsession!"

"Y-You aren't serious, are you?"

"I'm completely serious! You know how I got here?" She shook her head, still shocked beyond words. "There's a tunnel, an old, forgotten tunnel, somewhere in the Lost Woods. Up until recently, it was blocked, with no way of seeing what was on the other side. But I unblocked it—from the _other side_! It goes straight to the Goron City!"

"No _way_!" Saria gasped, jumping to her feet. "You mean..."

"That's right!" I nodded. "Your song travels right through the tunnel and straight into the Gorons' ears! When I came, I saw a whole bunch of Gorons huddling around the tunnel entrance, straining their ears just to hear your melody as clearly as possible."

"Link, that's...that's amazing!" she finally blurted, the impact of my words at last striking home. Saria drew a hand to her forehead and nearly stumbled. "Link, I think I'm going to..."

Like lightning, I was on my feet, ready to catch her. She collapsed into my arms, and for a moment I trembled, trying to hold her weight as I accustomed to it, worried that it had all been too much for her and that she had fainted. But to my relief, after a few seconds she sighed peacefully and opened her eyes, straight into mine. "I can't believe it," she whispered softly. "Link, I've never felt more proud in my life."

I smiled, hiding any signs of my struggle. "You _should_ be proud of yourself, Saria. I know I am." Secretly, I prayed to the goddesses that I wasn't blushing. "But Saria, I have something very important to ask."

"Yes?"

I set her gently on the stump, so that she lay with her feet dangling off the edge, and then sat myself down at her side. "According to the Gorons, their chief, Darunia, is your biggest fan. And the only way I'll be able to get through to him is if I can prove I'm your friend."

"But," Saria whispered lazily, "you are the only Kokiri who can step out of the forest. I'd die if I crossed through that tunnel."

"Yeah... I know... But I was thinking maybe that if you taught me your song, the fact that I'd be able to play it would prove to the chief that I know you."

"He might think you just copied it."

"Except he's their _chief_. He _knows_ I haven't been to the Goron City before. I wouldn't have been there long enough to learn the song; heck, I've been with you since I was born, and I _still_ can't play it."

Saria chuckled to herself, a restrained smile trying to force its way across her face. "Well, we'll just have to change that," she murmured.

* * *

Waking up from the nostalgic dream, I felt a little more sure of myself. "Perhaps she'll remember her song," I suggested aloud to myself.

Tatl yawned and stretched, evidently roused by my thought. "Wow," she groaned, "big day yesterday. What happens now?"

"Now, we make life a little easier for us," I answered, crossing the room towards a rectangular window. Pulling back the drapes, I was pleased to find the snow almost my height from the windowsill. I fumbled with the rusty latch, and pulled the glass up and let a blast of freezing wind into the room.

Crawling out the window into the pounding early morning blizzard, I was met almost instantly by a storm even worse than the one I was in during the avalanche. "Is this really necessary?" Tatl called from the lamp-lit room.

"I have to make it believable. Otherwise, they'll be suspicious." I made a wry grin. "What do you have to worry about, though? You get to stay inside until I get back!"

I swear Tatl turned just the tiniest bit pink. "Um, well... I was just worried because if you freeze, I'll never see my brother again!"

"Well, whatever the reason, just make sure to pretend you don't know me if you see me. I'm Darmani, not Link, when I look like a Goron, got it?"

"Pfft, like that'll be hard," she scoffed. "Whatever. Just be careful!" With that, she fluttered up and pulled the window shut.

Now trapped out in the cold, I agonizingly shuffled for my Goron Mask. If I wasn't careful, I was sure I'd get frostbite. To my relief, though, the mask wasn't hard to find, and the moment it touched my temples I began to feel warmer. Warmth continued to fill my entire body as muscles expanded and I grew taller and taller. "That's better," I thundered when it was all done.

"Hello again," greeted Darmani from inside my head. "Hey! We're at the shelter!"

"A lot has happened since we last spoke," I explained, whistling with slight fatigue. I had a lot of work ahead of me, after all. "Come on; we have to say hello to your friends."

Other than the howling wind, the landscape around the shelter was dead silent. It occurred to me that I had never seen the outside of it before. The shelter—at least what I could see of it—looked like a giant stone egg on its side. It seemed almost half buried by snow on some sides—those sides being the ones pounded most by the falling snow. The way the snow piled up at an angle on one side reminded me of the snow-covered roof of Zubora's cottage, and that made me realize I was swordless as a Goron.

"The blacksmith's?" Darmani cut in, interrupting my thoughts. "There's no way you can find your way back to Mountain Village in this weather. You'll just have to do without a sword for now."

"But how will I be able to fight?" I asked.

"Fight like a Goron, lad! You have powerful fists right now—make good use of them!"

I had to admit, the thought hadn't occurred to me. Making sure not to wander out of sight of the shelter, I searched for something to try my dukes on. Eventually I located a giant ball of packed snow. "Wow," I remarked. "I've never _seen_ such a large snowball!"

"Snow packs very easily at Snowhead," Darmani explained. "Higher in the mountains, one has to be careful of avalanches caused by these 'snow boulders.'" The irony.

"Well," I shrugged, loading a fist back. "let's see how well these muscles work." With little more than a faint grunt, I thrust my giant fist forward and unleashed a punch so powerful that the "snow boulder" exploded on contact. "WOW!" I exclaimed in awe. "That didn't even take any effort! Man, if only Mido were here!"

But when the cloud of powder snow cleared in front of me, I was met by such a ghastly sight that I almost fell backwards in surprise. A great red eye stared straight into mine, and for a split second I thought I was done for. But after a few seconds of waiting for the end, I realized that the creature before me was frozen solid. Indeed, on closer inspection it was a Tektite, frozen in the process of pouncing on some unfortunate animal. I couldn't help but be reminded of a similar encounter I had six years in the future.

"I shudder to think of all the poor creatures who have died since this storm began," Darmani scowled. "The demon behind this will have to pay dearly."

"With all due respect," I replied, "I'm quite content with this Tektite's current situation."

I trudged back through the snow, no longer impeded by its height as I approached what I had by now figured out to be the front door to the shelter. The door was a massive, stone semi-circle, engraved with the facets of countless Goron heroes. I even noticed one of Darmani, and smiled briefly before putting on my actor's face. Once I was standing square in front of the door, I proceeded to bang my fist on the door. "Open up!" I boomed. "Don't leave me out here in the cold!"

There was a clammer of footsteps, a bit of confusion, and then slowly the door creaked its way to the left, revealing the bright interior of the shelter. "Just hang on a moment!" requested a familiar voice. "We'll have this door open in a giffy! The blizzard last night left it frozen shu—" The Goron's sentence cut off when he saw me. "_Darmani_!" he gasped. "Is that _you_!"

I nodded, though I brought a finger to my lips. "Shh, I don't want a commotion. I've had a long day; I just need to relax now."

The Goron was still a bit in shock. He rubbed his head slowly. "Well... I _guess_ so. It's just...the Elder told us you were dead. It is kind of a big thing to come back from the dead..."

"Hah, he doesn't realize how right he is!" Darmani chuckled.

"I'd just like to stay low for a little while. Can you keep me a secret, just for a while?" I insisted.

The Goron sighed. "Well, alright. I'll help you get to your quarters undetected. But you have to promise to fill me in on all the details of your journey when you're done resting!"

"It's a deal," I nodded. "Let's go."

The Goron ushered me through a passageway to the right, and led me through brown tunnel after tunnel, neither of us saying a word. I snuck a quick glance at Saria's firmly shut door when we passed it. "We're almost there, Darma—I mean, 'sir,'" the Goron assured me.

Just as he finished his sentence, though, another Goron turned a corner and walked straight up to the one leading me. "Rongoro," he exclaimed in a hushed tone, "great news! The little boy that showed up last night...he's starting to wake up!" My eyes grew wide. A little boy? They didn't mean me, did they? Before I could finish thinking, the second Goron noticed me. He opened his mouth to exclaim my name, possibly as if he had seen a ghost, but Rongoro quickly covered his mouth.

"Shh!" he hushed. "Yes, yes, it's Darmani. Yes, yes, he's supposed to be dead. But he's not exactly in the mood for a great welcome party, he just wants to rest. So please, keep it quiet!" The other Goron nodded.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"This boy," I inquired, "what does he look like?"

"Hm? Oh, very very small. We needed a magnifying glass to see his face! I would have mistaken him for the mythical Tom Thumb those Termanians are always talking about, but I'm pretty sure Tom Thumb doesn't have wings." Something clicked in my brain.

I turned to my guide. "Um... I know I asked to be able to lay down, but could you take me to see this boy first? I think I might know who he is."

"Oh, certainly! Right this way." The Goron gestured down the hall he had just come out of. "Follow me."

* * *

I knocked. My tap echoed quietly in the empty hall, and I listened to it and twiddled my thumbs nervously as I waited for the door to open. The snow outside had picked up speed; personally, I would have _expected_ some snow in mid-autumn—the Dragon Roost Mountains would have some snow at their peaks by early November—but all the talk that there wasn't supposed to be any snow made even this snowfall seem unnatural.

When the door swung open, I saw a beautiful, tall, slender girl standing in the doorway. Her eyes were blank and, though as green as emeralds, they seemed pale and bored. The way she adverted her eyes from mine told me not only did she not remember me yet, but she still had no intentions to enter a relationship. I tried my best to smile, though, and when she pulled her hand away when I tried to take it I merely made it look like I had been reaching for something else. "How are you feeling, Saria?" I asked casually.

"Alright, I guess," she answered coldly. "Is that all you've come to pester me for?"

I blushed. She was so cute, even when she didn't want to be. When she saw my face getting red, she turned to leave. I realized my mistake. "No, wait!" I stopped. "I came to show you something."

She didn't want to show it, but I caught her interest at least a little. With a look that could kill even a cucco, she leaned against the doorway and watched as I pulled out a small person from my pocket, glowing but the faintest red. It felt like I was handing her a rose, but I worked furiously to hide the color in my cheeks this time. Her eyes widened, and a small, recognizing smile danced across her delicate lips. "Tuto," she whispered, taking the fairy from my hands as delicately as I would handle Navi in the future. "Oh, my dear Tuto. However are you, dear?" She stroked Tuto's little head. Tatl looked like she was about to throw up, but I merely grew envious. She could remember Tuto just fine, but didn't even recall the times we enjoyed for years past. I tried to hide my jealousy behind another smile, but upon seeing it Saria recalled why she didn't want to see me and slammed the door shut.

I waited and listened. Once she was out of range, I stamped the floor with a foot and stormed off back to my quarters. "I don't understand it!" Tatl and I grumbled nearly simultaneously. "Why would a fairy ever bow so low for a measly Kokiri?" pondered my fairy companion.

"Why can't she even look at me?" pondered I.

Passing the window, I saw only more cold, heartless snow.

* * *

That evening, the night of the second day, I sat in the dinner hall without a single piece of food on my plate, preferring instead to search for Saria's entrance. When at last she did arrive, she sat at a table on the other end of the hall from mine, talking to one or two Gorons but otherwise chatting only with Tuto. Only then did I agree with Tatl that food was needed in my stomach, and even then I ate every bite longingly watching the flower of the Lost Woods. She didn't look at me even once, except one time when her eyes connected with mine. The connection broke milliseconds later, but the vision impressed itself into my mind. "Saria," I whispered, so quietly that only Tatl could hear me. "I risked everything to be together with you. I'm not going to lose you again. You could remember me when I was an adult... You'll remember me, I swear you will." I bit down hard on a cucco bone, only to cry out in pain. The whole table I was at stopped eating and stared at me. "...hurt my tooth," I explained sheepishly. They shrugged and went back to their meals. Peeking at the other table, Saria had gotten up to leave.

When I was sure she had made it back to her quarters I carelessly threw my own leftovers away and got up to check on her. In the back of my mind I knew this close attention, at such a dire relationship point, would be taken as stalking and would hurt the relationship even further; I had lost her for so long, though, that my mind couldn't think about anything else. Her leafy green hair, her soft cheeks, that silly hairband she always wore in her hair no matter what the situation... Now that I was so close again, how could I dream otherwise? Tatl kept trying to remind me about Majora's Mask, but I found myself involuntarily ignoring her, and I didn't care one bit. Perhaps, if I could get Saria to hear her song... After all, it worked on Mido six years in the future, didn't it?

I didn't make it to her quarters. Just as I was passing by the doors of the shelter swung open, and I beheld in the doorway, with snow howling around him, the largest Goron I had ever seen (minus Biggoron and his brother). Long, snow-white hair covered his wrinkled, quivering face, and his back was so humped that he needed a crooked old cane to avoid falling forward like a boulder. The cold from outside gushed inwards, and as we all stood shivering not a single Goron uttered a sound. They all watched the giant with a mixture of caution and surprise. The new Goron did nothing but stand there for a long moment, taking us all in, then hobbled towards the same hallway Saria went down.

A Goron from one of the tables feebly rose and went to greet him. "Elder," he welcomed anxiously, nodding towards another Goron to shut the door, "you've been gone for so long! Can I... Can we get you anything?"

The Goron Elder spoke softly, yet in such a commanding fashion that his words went unquestioned. His voice rumbled and cracked, almost like the sound of two pieces of sandpaper rubbed together. It echoed endlessly in the hall, so that even a whisper was heard by everyone present. "Where is the girl?" he demanded.

The Goron was taken by surprise. "Th-The girl? She's right down that hallway. B-But Elder, your son has been—"

"Enough!" waved the Elder. "Do not bother me with such trifling absurdities! My child can wait, I have business to take care of! Now away with you. I need to have a word with our guest." The Goron tried to protest, but couldn't find his voice and eventually shuffled back to his table with a defeated look on his face. We continued to watch the Elder as he slowly paced down the hall, inch by hobbled inch.

"He's ruder than I am," Tatl noted. I nodded in agreement.

"I wonder what his problem is?"

"The most important thing is that he came from outside. He may know something about what we're supposed to be doing here. Or maybe about this weather!"

"But what about his kid? Was that who was crying earlier?"

A Goron next to me nodded. "The Goron Elder's son is in a terrible state. The Elder has been missing since the weather changed. None of our scouts could find him; and then the blizzard got so bad that we all had to get inside. All we could find was that girl. The Elder's son wasn't impressed by her, and he's been crying for his dad ever since."

"Is he the leader of your colony?" I inquired.

"Not at all. Much bigger. He's the leader of the entire Northern Republic. All he has to do is wave a finger and we're demolishing the ski village he had set up over on Mt. Snowhead. He's _that_ powerful. Another day and his disappearance would be enough to warrant military involvement."

The Goron wasn't in the mood for a total interrogation, and promptly left thereafter. I was left to plot my next move. Tatl's idea seemed to be the most logical route. But another thought crept by—that poor kid, unloved by his own father. I had a sneaking suspicion of how I could help.

* * *

A rush of Gorons flowing in and out of a door was what met me in front of the child's room. I had to almost beg before I was admitted inside, and it almost didn't seem worth it when I saw the Goron prince. He was a pathetic mess of a creature; a sobbing, sniffling, crying, furious wreck. I felt a sharp wave of pity as soon as I set my eyes on him. It was obvious he needed love, badly, and he didn't want it from any of his attendants. The only subject spewing from his gaping mouth was his father, who he wanted desperately. No matter how much any of the Gorons pleaded, he would not stop his vicious tantrum. Somehow, my mission became a whole lot more difficult.

In a way, though, the kid reminded of me. I'd just done something very similar in my room, and now I was ashamed of it. Was that really how I acted? I was a grown man (mentally, at least); how dare I let childish desires take control of me! How would Saria react, if she knew I bawled for her rather than working calmly to help her? The sight of the kid made me sick; would Saria feel sick, if she saw me?

It was difficult to even contemplate my own failures in such a room. The baby was an erupting Death Mountain of noise, burning my ears to a crisp. I quickly became envious of the small-eared Termanians. They could probably cover their ears to block out some of the sound. Such an endeavor would be pointless with my ears. I had to find a way to—shame on me for saying it—shut this boy up.

"Won't _anything_ make him happy?" I shouted to a passing attendant. "Will nothing calm him?"

"His father would calm him down," the Goron yelled back, "if he would only look at the kid. He never would though—he hates his son."

"So is this kid just going to scream for the rest of his life?"

"Nayru forbid he doesn't! Darmani used to be able to silence him in seconds with a lullaby—but it's no use hoping for that now that he's dead!"

I cupped my ears towards the rock man. "I'm sorry, who did you say? Darunia?"

The Goron cupped his hands around his mouth. "I said Darmani! Dar! Man! Eee!"

Perfect, I thought. Perhaps it is time for Darmani to make a comeback. "Hey, I just got a great idea!" I shouted. "Get all the other Gorons into the food hall and wait five minutes."

"What! How will that help?"

"Just trust me!"

The Goron shrugged. "What could it hurt?" He ushered all the other Gorons out of the room, gave me a look of hope, and departed.

As soon as he was gone, I set myself into action. Ducking behind a wardrobe, I made sure nobody (not even the boy) could see me, and put on the Goron Mask. Once again, the painful surge of sheer muscle exploded through my body—but I made a powerful effort not to scream. Then, when it was all over, I set my plan into action. _Darmani?_ I called out in my mind.

"Yes?" he replied.

_Do you still remember the lullaby you used to play for the Elder's son?_

"Every note. Why do you ask?"

_I'm going to need you to sing it for me in a second._

"Alright. You'll need drums, though. Are we in the child's room? There's a set of drums in the corner."

_...you know, on second thought, I'm going to need you to handle this for me. Do you think you can?_

"I'm 100% certain of it. Leave it to me."

I let my mind sit back and gave Darmani control. Darmani stood up and walked towards a pile of leather drums in the corner of the room. "Good evening, Togoro," he greeted calmly, despite the hysteria of the infant.

"D... Darmani?" the child hiccuped, his screams cutting off abruptly. "Is that you?"

Darmani nodded with a smile. "It most certainly is. And I'm very glad of it." He sat down on a chair next to the child's crib. "Togoro, I'm going to sing a song for you. Do you know the one?"

The child grinned and wiped away his tears. "Is it... Is it the lullaby? I love the lullaby!"

"That's right! I'm going to sing you a lullaby. I understand you've been under a little stress lately; you need to sleep away your troubles."

I can't recount the dialogue that followed—it was in a language I could not understand, not even with Goron blood streaming through my veins. But it was a touchingly sad lullaby—sad in the nostalgic sense—and when it was over I was almost heartbroken to hear it go. I swore to myself that I'd memorize the song to show off to Saria one day.

The Elder's son was sound asleep by the time the last note was struck on the drums. "He may cry a lot," Darmani explained to me, patting the child on the head, "but the poor kid just wants somebody to love him. We all want that, in the end." A tear trickled down his face. "It feels so nice to be able to share my love one last time before moving on. Thank you for that, swordsman."

_It was my pleasure, Darmani_, I grinned, power over my body restored as the Goron hero sank back into the recesses of my mind.

No sooner did I pull off the Goron Mask and store it away than the attendants return, joyous (but quiet) for the quiescence Darmani had bestowed upon them. "How did you ever manage to put him to sleep?" one inquired.

"Oh, I had my ways," I answered slyly.

* * *

"I must admit, that was very clever of you, Link," Tatl remarked as I returned to my quarters. It was surprisingly late, and my nap didn't seem to help my fatigue one bit, so I decided to continue trying to win Saria over in the morning.

"I think I did something really nice for Darmani," I agreed with a yawn. "Not to mention the Elder's son."

"Just don't forget, Link," Tatl warned as I took my clothes off. "We have only one day left."

I froze, naked and all; I had completely forgotten about the moon. Then, after a moment, I resumed pulling myself under the warm covers of my bed, half-shrugging off Tatl's statement. "Well, I suppose if I run out of time, I can always use the Song of Time again."

"Link, I don't think you understand how serious it is that we..." I don't remember anything more that she said. I had fallen deep asleep, and that night would be haunted by nightmares more frightening than I could have ever imagined.

* * *

It started with a sound, waking me from my tormented sleep, myself gasping "Deathl" and then falling quiet as I groggily took in the room. I could feel the residue of tears on my cheeks. I had woke from a terrible dream, nightmarish thoughts that dogged me ever since I arrived in Termina.

It was dark outside. "Finally you're awake!" Tatl exclaimed with relief, albeit shaken by my sudden jolt upon awakening. "I've been trying to wake you up all day. The sun has already set!" I heard her words—and to this day I remember them—but they didn't register in my brain as words. Only sounds. I didn't even understand what she meant.

The horrible nightmares from my sleep—too terrible to recount—had left me in a stupor. I had the dull sense that something horrible had happened; the sort of blood-draining dread that one can't quite explain.

The noise from before quickly absorbed my entire soul. There was something sinister about it. Despite my room looking no different than before, I had the profound feeling that evil lurked behind every shadow, as if some dark force had now breached the sanctity of the Gorons' shelter.

I rose immediately from my bed and threw on my clothes. Without saying a word to Tatl, I opened the door into the hallway—colder, I remember, than before—and stumbled out of my room. I wandered the halls blindly, like a zombie, going mindlessly towards some mysterious destination. The whole world seemed ethereal, a mingling of invisible phantoms and absent bodies. Time seemed to move so slow during that dreadful walk, my mind dawdling on far away thoughts and images so vague now that they might as well have been made up. As far as I could have been concerned, the shelter was empty, though my blurred mind could have easily missed any Goron I may have passed. I'm not quite sure what it was that held me in its hypnotic grip, but I was completely under its spell. Was it just another dream?

Eventually, I arrived at Saria's door. I knocked. "Saria?" I called. My words echoed in my ears. "Saria?" There was no reply. All thoughts redirected themselves at the door, and my mind seemed to wordlessly push the door open, not my hand resting on the knob. The future Forest Sage was nowhere to be found. Then I looked down.

It is strange, how the world around one seems to stand still in time when something bad happens. As I laid eyes upon my beloved Saria's chamber, even Tatl's glow seemed to freeze, and the rumbling of the approaching moon ceased to rattle and shake. My own breath hung in the air like a newly formed cloud, drifting just under my eyelids like a ghost who doesn't wish to leave. For one long moment I stared, horrified at what I saw, every blood vessel draining from my face, transfixed at the terrible story unfolded before me.

* * *

**A Note from the Author:** The ending segment was originally going to be the opener for Part III, but I decided it made a better ending for Part II. Talk about suspense! What could it be that Link saw?

The Link's Awakening reference near the end will make more sense if you know how I perceive the order of the games to be. I see the Oracle Series as coming after Majora's Mask, then Link's Awakening. I won't say any more, to preserve the suspense or mystery, but if you are really curious, feel free to ask in your review. Just please don't write a review talking only about the Zelda timeline, I'm quite sick of the debate.

Wow, can't wait to finish Part III! I promise it will be great! Stay tuned!

Reviews are not only encouraged, but they are highly appreciated. I enjoy every one I read, and you can be guaranteed that I'll respond with something of equal value for your effort. Please and thank you!


	3. The Awakening

**A Note from the Author:** I actually had this "finished" in early October, but I wasn't satisfied with a lot of the ending, so I waited on posting it. However, today, Halloween, is the one-year anniversary of the first chapter in the _Shadow Apocalypse_ series (which means I'm vastly slower in churning out chapters than I was last year), not to mention a few days after the 10-year anniversary of my favorite Zelda game on the planet, _Majora's Mask_, so it seemed fit to get the editing done this week and post it before Halloween's over. Event-wise, this is probably one of my favorite chapters in _Dark Mind_ and _Shadow Apocalypse_ combined, and is a suitable conclusion to a plot first started in Phantom Destiny, to which (if you've forgotten) Cold Heart is the spiritual sequel to. However, I also think that, at least in the way that it was written, this chapter is a little cornier than most of my chapters; but I'll leave that for you the reader to decide.

Anyway, it's taken me almost all year, but I hope you thoroughly enjoy the grand finale to the second entry in the _Shadow Apocalypse_ series, Cold Heart. I'd deeply appreciate it if you were to write a review when you're done reading-I faithfully read and respond to every single one I receive, and I take every word into account when I write later pieces. Enjoy!

* * *

**Part III ~ The Awakening**

The moment I saw the red puddle on the floor, I recklessly bolted out of the room as fast as I could. "Link, what is it?" Tatl demanded, surprised by my sudden about-face and frustrated with having to keep up with me.

"Tatl," I panted, trying to hold back the tears, "something's happened. She's gone. I have to find her!"

"You mean that Kokiri girl? Hey, wait up, kid!" she cried as she began to fall behind. I scrambled through the halls, until at last I found what I was looking for. Another red puddle swirled directly on the path, and another a few feet away. At the fourth, the world became lost to my wildly distrait mind. I followed the trail of blood as fast as my feet could take me. A crowd of Gorons were huddled near the doorway leading out of the shelter. It was open, for some reason.

It didn't take long to figure out why, though. The crowd parted as soon as they saw me barreling forward, and I felt the blood in my face drain when I saw where the trail led me. There were murmurs around me; who they addressed, I didn't care.

Bursting through the doorway was like falling face first into a lake—the wind was like a wall when it hit me. Snow pounded on my head, and I realized with dread that I had stepped into the worst blizzard the gods could ever create. And there, a dark shadow in the falling snow, was the Goron Elder, his back turned to me, trudging determinedly through the snow away from the shelter. At first I could only stand in the little square of cleared ground, questioning why the old man was braving such a stoury maelstrom, when my eyes landed on the red snow around his footsteps. His procession was even more cumbersome than usual; he was holding something, something heavy. "By Farore's Book, he's got Saria!" I gasped.

Tatl finally caught up to me. "Link, I know what you're thinking, but _listen_ to me, _please_!" she panted. "We have to get back inside!"

I shook my head. "How DARE you even suggest that!" I defiantly kicked off the ground with my legs and launched myself on top of the massive pile of snow covering the mountain. My words died in the howling gale.

Tatl desperately grabbed my elbow and tried pulling me in the opposite direction. "Link, you'll _die_ out here! Don't you realize? Majora created this blizzard to destroy you!"

I shook her off. "I don't care anymore!" I roared. The snow was frustratingly deep, and no matter how hard I tried, the facade of the Goron Elder (as well as, to my horror, the boots and arm of a lifeless girl) grew further and further away. I tried to shield the snow from my eyes to get a better view, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't see anything more than their dark bodies against an even darker horizon. In their direction laid a large mountain, looming in the distance, with glowing blue circles around it. I wasn't sure, perhaps they might have been windows, but to me they appeared to be ghostly eyes, staring down at us like ominous gods waiting to claim their next soul.

"Tatl, what's over there?" I inquired, pausing a moment to catch my breath. After 20 minutes, I could still clearly see the Gorons standing in the doorway of the shelter behind me; I was going nowhere, and I was already anhelous. I weakly supported my hands on my knees, gasping for air. We were so high up…

"Mt. Snowhead," she yelled into my ear, no other volume audible in the pounding storm. "A long time ago, they used to hold sacrifices there!"

"Oh no…" I gulped. Without hesitating a moment longer, I doubled my efforts in clambering over the snow. The painful sight of Saria's dead body on some sort of altar terrified me. Her sweet smile, a perennial flower, suddenly and tragically silenced in the cold, relentless snow… I couldn't bear to let that happen!

I pushed forward as fast as I could, devoured by the image, no longer acquainted with reason and reality. I couldn't see anything anymore, save the dwindling form of the ancient king and his motionless captive, life teetering on if not beyond her grave. The Goron Elder, it seemed, was much more capable of crossing the snow than I was, and despite my obstinate efforts he was many feet higher than me along the cliffs. He and my dear Saria were becoming dark shadows in a blanket of white, and with a sense of revulsion I realized that were it not for the trail of blood on the snow I would probably have lost them.

Just as I began to start catching up to the Goron Elder rather than fall behind, two mounds of snow rose from either side of him and glowing orange eyes turned to stare at me in the blinding torrent. "What are these things!" I cried, looking from one being to the other before glancing briefly towards the Elder, who I realized was using the diversion to get even farther away. With Saria's body amort in his crippled arms, he plowed up the mountain face, never looking back, never uttering a word. His ignorance made me furious.

The nival demons advanced upon me, arms raised, ready to drag me down into the snow, never to return. Tatl peeked out of her hat, where she and Tuto were huddling to escape the pounding snow. "Those are Eenos, Link!" she hastily explained. "They're said to haunt the Northern Mountains… But I thought they were only legend!"

"What do they do to people?" I demanded, backing away nervously as they approached, voice quivering in a mixture of frustration and fear.

"I don't know, Link, I really don't know!"

"_What_!" I blurted, patience with Tatl long dead, and incredulous that she could be so incompetent. "But you're a _fairy_! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KNOW!"

"I'm not very rehearsed in Goron mythology…"

"TATL, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KNOW!" Never before did I feel so much hate towards her. It was inexcusable, and her constant failures would now cost me my life, not to mention Saria's.

"Link, just… Just kill them or something! Quick!"

I hastily reached for my sword, but was horrified to discover that it was frozen to the sheath and would not budge. "By Din's Rod, my sword's stuck!" I exclaimed. "What am I going to do!" Naturally, I found an answer myself before Tatl could even formulate an idea. Without a moment to lose, I threw on the Goron Mask and felt the winter cold get a little less chilly.

It was then that the Eenos and I collided. They fell upon me like the snow in the avalanche, driving me down into a frozen grave. With my Goron strength I resisted, pushing against them, screaming with adrenaline, applying every muscle I had in a desperate race for life. All around me I could hear their moans, like the babbling of a demented man with no inch of sanity. They were pushing me deeper and deeper, as if there were an endless pit of snow that I'd just sink in for eternity.

And then, just like that, I won. Something happened, and I felt more strength than a thousand men channel through my arms. I burst through the malleable bodies of the Eenos and rose triumphantly above them. "I'm not going to let you die so easily," Darmani announced, in full control of my body. "I've suffered death once before—but I refuse to suffer it again!"

"Darmani," I hastily explained, "the Elder took Saria and is carrying her towards Mt. Snowhead!"

"The Elder? But—"

"Please, before it's too late! She may be dead already!"

"I guess I'll find out when we get there. Leave it to me, lad!" Darmani bent down, so low that his nose almost touched his knees, and wrapped his arms around his head. Then, without warning, he kicked back with his feet and thrust his head downwards, somersaulting repeatedly on top of the snow. We spun faster and faster, accelerating to a blinding speed, the powerful snow rendered harmless against our rock-hard back as we rolled up the pass towards the foreboding countenance of Snowhead.

* * *

Looming above us in the mixture of whites and blacks was a cimmerian shadow that seemed to eclipse even the enormous moon. Even in our hot pursuit of the Elder, we had to pause for a moment to stare up at the ominous structure. "The Snowhead Temple," Darmani remarked darkly, surveying the tower intently. "I thought it was abandoned _years_ ago… So why are the lights on?"

In the corner of my eye I saw something move up a hill to our left. My mind returned to rescuing dear Saria, and with my urging Darmani left the temple's presence to continue the chase. The Goron Elder was nearing the top of a great divide, one side of a great chasm from which the frigid temple stood across. Our path took us along a narrow ridge circling around the ravine, a fatal drop lingering menacingly just a foot away to either side. Darmani maneuvered us with expertise, though, and at last we arrived at Mt. Snowhead's summit.

I felt my heart break at the sight that met us. We were too late; the Goron Elder stood at the top already, holding Saria high over the cliff, her lifeless body dangling dangerously hundreds of feet above the ground.

Beyond them loomed the frontal face of the Snowhead Temple, finally visible through the blizzard. It was a truly massive column, made of the most chillingly pale of rocks. Great spikes extended from its top, protruding from the temple's head like a geological crown. On the temple's sides were colossal windows, like 20-yard diameter saucers, emitting a brilliant blue light from somewhere inside through giant murals of Goron warriors. The Snowhead Temple was so intimidating in this monstrous weather that just a glimpse of the tower could instill the most savage of fears. More humbling still was the impossibly huge moon, glowing menacingly through the opaque clouds above us. It was unbelievably close. I could feel the earth shaking ever so slightly, even though I was standing on snow, and quickly realized that my time frame was limited to only a few hours before the moon would slam into Termina.

With such pressing circumstances, I would have marched up to the Elder immediately, but Darmani had other plans. He slowed down as we went around the last spiraling turn, and mentally explained we were to wait and watch. "You were right to be concerned, Link. There is something horribly wrong about the elder. I know it is hard, but we must discover his motive before we attempt to confront him," he insisted, despite my resistance.

No matter how much I wanted to seize Saria then and there, Darmani was right; and so upon retrieving control I surrendered and hid behind a nearby boulder, observing the Goron king intently and anxiously.

"All-Powerful One!" the Elder beckoned towards the temple. "I have returned as you wished! I bring the emerald girl, bathed in your storm of evil and dressed in the crimson of blood! I implore you now to cast away the darkness surrounding you, and retrieve what you so intently demanded from my republic!"

The earth began to rumble. All eyes stared intently at the gaping doors of the temple. Something moved. I couldn't see it clearly at first because of the snow, but I was certain it was both immense and menacing, its black shadow steadily eclipsing the temple base with every tremor of the mountain. With every advancement out of the doorway came a sort of screeching or grinding sound, followed by a loud thud that made the earth shake once again. Loud bursts of air echoed through the mountains, and with everyone I saw a flare of smoke flicker out of the figure's sides.

A stone bridge began to slowly extend across the ravine and towards the cliff. The thing began to cross it, and little by little I was able to make out details. The frightful thing, bigger than even King Dodongo, was made entirely out of metal—how it could move if it wasn't alive, I couldn't even fathom. It was shaped like a mighty beast, and at one point it actually bleated like a goat, except the call was so deep and heavy that it shook the entire Northern Mountains. I glanced at Tatl questioningly. "Tatl, do you have anything on this?"

She shook her tiny head. "I've never seen anything like it…" she trembled.

"Divine master of Snowhead," the Elder thundered, raising Saria even higher. "I bring you on this darkest of nights a sacrifice in your honor!" Saria's evergreen clothes whipped violently in the hyperboreal wind. I watched in horror as snow circulated around her as if reacting to a spell. "I beg of you, in return for my gift, bestow me with your strength!" The effete ruler pulled out a scalpel. "With the blood of this girl, give me your power!"

Tatl and I exchanged faces. "It's now or never." I pulled my heavy body up over the ledge and ran towards the Elder. "Goron Elder!" I demanded. "Drop her this instant!"

When I was within a foot of the frostbitten king, he threw back his head, revealing red, glowing eyes glaring right into my pupils. I was stunned, my legs ceasing to function, and I collapsed to the snow at his feet. "So, the young boy thought he could follow me, did he?" the elder growled in his stridulous voice. "What a pity that he dares challenge the master of this mountain."

"That face…" Darmani gasped. Rather than being met with the hobbled, wrinkled face of the Goron Elder, I was met with a cadaverous mask. It was like the face a sheep would have were it possessed by malevolent demon. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, an answer to the puzzle of the Elder began to form…

"You think by disguising yourself as one of my own you could trick me? It is a shame you aren't as smart as you thought you were." I tried to stand up, but to my horror I couldn't raise my feet. It was as if they were held to the snow by glue. Looking down, I was shocked to discover a large pile of snow, swirling around my ankles and slowly progressing up my legs. I couldn't move.

"Your pitiful body is far too weak to resist my might, boy. Within seconds, you will be just another piece of this blizzard, blowing away until you are no more." The elder beamed. "How foolish you were, to even think for a moment that I was unarmed."

I couldn't keep my eyes off of the grotesque mask adorning the elder's face. It seemed to reek of evil, as if a fountain of wickedness were bubbling underneath it. Saria was still high above the Goron sovereign, and I was completely at his mercy. And yet, despite the circumstances, all I could think about was that blasted mask. Something about it…

"It was YOU!" Darmani roared, suddenly seizing control of my limbs and ferociously tugging at the ice and snow around his legs, struggling to break free of their grip.

"Darmani!" the Goron Elder shrieked, stumbling backwards and almost dropping Saria. "I thought you were dead!"

"I recognize that face now!" the fallen hero continued, rage boiling, fury growing. "It was the last thing I saw before I fell from these very cliffs! Those piercing eyes, and that twisted visage! It was you!"

"I saw it, though! With my own eyes!" the Elder hissed, continuing to back away. "You _died_!"

With a loud crack one of my legs burst forth from the ice. "Not even death can keep me from you now, Eregoro!" Another crack, and I was free. I'd never felt such propinquity with Darmani before. It was almost as if he and I were one in the same. I—Darmani—advanced upon the Elder, cracking my giant knuckles. "I fell because I thought you were my friend. I know better now!"

"Hah, _friends_," the Elder spat. "The most worthless of notions in the entire universe! Why should I ever bow down to the likes of your friendship, when I can grow with the power of Mistress Majora?"

"Because I would have saved you," I answered in Darmani's low, brassy voice. Like cracking a whip, my left fist rocketed forward and landed square in the center of the Elder's chest. The Elder lost his grip against the edge of the cliff, and teetered over the drop off. He flailed, desperate not to fall, and in doing so accidentally dropped Saria. Like lightning, I tore off the Goron Mask and threw it to the snow just in time to reach out and catch Saria's delicate body as it came towards me.

I heard a crackled, ancient scream, and turned around just in time to see the Goron Elder fall to his doom moments after. Holding Saria tight and close to my heart, I peered over the edge. The Goron king was already lost in the fury of snow far below.

I sighed a deep breath of relief and squeezed Saria's freezing, thanatoid body, glad to finally hold her in my arms again. Slowly, I backed away from the cliff. "Don't worry, Saria," I whispered, not sure if she could even hear me. "You'll be safe now." Her defunct lips were almost blue. Perhaps out of pity, I kissed them in an attempt to warm them up. To my disbelief and great joy, I discovered my effort was pointless—there existed inside her the slightest, tiniest, but most certainly present warmth. She was, thank the goddesses, alive.

"What a shame, to have lost my host," came a nerve-splitting voice on my right. The two fairies and I inched our heads timidly to the side, dreading whatever it was we were about to discover. There, floating in the snow-filled air, was the mask the elder had worn. "It was inevitable, though," the mask continued. "Gorons are too stupid to trust with such power. He didn't even have the brains to know how to wield it."

I stared at the mask with nervous curiosity. "What _are_ you?" I demanded.

"I am a fragment of the devil's soul, created out of the anonymity and austerity of this land. And now, if you don't mind, it is high time that I fulfill my purpose."

In a flash of red, the mask launched itself away towards the giant shadow on the other side of the chasm. Without wait, it latched itself onto the figure's front, and with a sudden burst of light, the entire thing came to life. Bright bolts of lightning exploded from its body, which in the newfound light I could recognize clearly as that of a gigantic, metal goat's.

"I HAVE AWAKENED," came a bellowing voice, straight from the thing's face. "ALL GOHT SYSTEMS OPERATIONAL."

I backed away from the chasm. "Wh-What is that?" I stuttered.

"Haven't you ever seen a robot before?" Tatl gawked.

"I don't even know what a robot _is_!" I snapped, holding on to Saria even tighter.

Before Tatl could inform me any further, an all-too-familiar voice echoed above the howling wind.

"So, we meet again, Pinocchio." Squinting my eyes, I could make out a dark, snickering shadow on the machine's head. It was so far away, and yet I could make out every nuance in its voice. "I was quite displeased when I saw you kill my warrior. I wonder what went through your head when your girlfriend dumped you, though? Quite a suitable punishment, don't you think?"

I defensively clutched Saria in my arms, but to my horror she was thrust by some invisible force out of my grip and above the chasm. There she lay floating on her back, still unconscious, still just a step away from death. Once again, I had lost her. Struggling to hold back a wall of tears, my entire head trembled. "Why are you doing this?" I demanded, as forcefully and controllably as I could, staring up at the phantom with unrestrained hatred.

With just a slight shift of the figure's position, I could clearly see the tendrils of the Majora's Mask, tormenting me with its blood-covered visage. Not even the blizzard could get the sight away from me. "If you don't like the game," the benighted demon taunted, "then you never should have decided to play." It broke its connection with me and looked up into the dark clouds. "A shame, my greatest puppet is nearly invisible above all these clouds. But by midnight tonight…even the great Northern Mountains will not be able to hide its fate." It turned back to me. "Don't think you can stop it," it warned.

"Skull Kid, Majora, whoever I'm talking to," I called, "I'm not intimidated by your little scare tactics! This game isn't over until I say it is!"

The mask was silent for a moment. "Very well," it finally echoed. "In that case, start clearing your vocal chords." Without another word, the shadow on the top of the machine's head vanished.

More lightning flared from the "robot" (or whatever Tatl called it), and it suddenly reared back and slammed its metal hooves on the chasm bridge, letting out an ear-splitting bellow. Saria drifted from above the chasm to above the bridge. The cacodemonic robot took a few steps back, and then charged forward.

"No!" I screamed. I seized the Goron Mask up from the ground and threw it onto my face. As soon as I had Darmani's body, I mimicked what the fallen hero had done earlier and curled up into a ball. I thrust myself onto the bridge and towards the goat, hoping that somehow I could stop it before it rammed straight into Saria's body, ending her life forever.

My rock body slammed like a tumbling boulder straight into the robot's legs, stunning both of us momentarily. I was thrown back a sizable distance, but quickly recovered and curled up again. As I began rolling towards the monster again, it bellowed, "ENEMY TARGET IDENTIFIED. THUNDERSTORM INITIATED."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a long beam of electricity rocketed out of the creature's sides and hurtled towards me. I dodged the first one a split second before it would have struck me, and did similarly to the second one, though as I rolled I caught sight of the second passing dangerously close to Saria. The machine—for that was quickly becoming the only word to describe the capric robot—began to charge again, more bolts of lightning spiraling out of its sides. One bolt struck the bridge in front of me, destroying part of it. I stopped myself just before falling off.

Not a second later, the giant goat rammed into me at full speed. Something inside me clicked, though and I fought back. My great hands grabbed onto the even greater horns of the massive creature's bowed head (identical, in every way, to the mask), and I directed all my mental processes towards one thing: pushing.

And there we sat in a stalemate. How I was strong enough to push against such a powerful heap of metal I wasn't sure, but I just did my best to push. Steam from the creature's nostrils blurred my vision, smoke garbled my nose, and yet I continued to push, knowing that if I slipped, for even a second, then the lives of both Saria and I would be forever condemned to destruction.

I felt a surge of power, and suddenly Darmani was at my side. I stared at him in disbelief, his phantomly body clearly visible despite all the snow and steam. "D-Darmani!" I managed.

"That body is your's now, swordsman," Darmani grinned as he slammed his hands against the goat. "You have done a greater deed to me than anybody else has ever done before. And now it is my turn to return the favor, and go to the afterlife in peace."

The robot began to struggle against our combined strength, and a glimmer of hope flashed through my mind. "Push to your right!" I ordered. "NOW!"

At my command, we both began pushing to our side, and in one swift swing the robot was flung over the edge of the bridge, and tumbled down into the darkness, writhing in fury and screaming bleat after demonic bleat.

I felt my entire muscles heave in relief. I didn't realize how much energy I'd exerted; I was practically ready to collapse. With a deep sigh, I turned to Darmani. "Thank you for all that you've done, Darmani," I smiled.

The Goron hero puffed out his chest and stood tall, acknowledging me as if I were royalty. "Link, I cannot thank you enough. It was an honor to serve you." He paused. "But now, it is time for me to move on."

I nodded. "Congratulations, Darmani. You can finally be at peace."

"And I hope the same may be said for you, young swordsman. I bid you good-bye, and I hope that the next time we meet, we will have even more stories and adventures to share." We shared one last look at each other, and after a few seconds, the ghost of Darmani faded away, free at last to move on to the afterlife.

I gave him the same send-off stance that he gave me. When he was completely gone, I looked up at the falling snow that would now take his place on the ground he had stood on. No matter how much the ferocious weather at Snowhead tried, the footsteps Darmani made in life would never be stamped out now. He had truly saved his people from extinction, and the continued survival of the Goron race in Termina would forever be thanks to him.

"LINK! LOOK OUT!" the fairies screamed. I spun around and saw a swirling funnel of electricity rocketing at a blinding speed towards Saria from the chasm.

"SARIA!" I screamed. Tearing the Goron Mask from my face as I ran, I flung myself into the air and wrapped my arms around my beloved flower. The blast of electricity flew above us, spiraling upwards and upwards until it struck the sinking moon.

That was the last I saw of the sky. In pushing Saria out of the way, I had inadvertently cast the two of us off the edge of the bridge. Now we too began to plummet into the chasm between Mt. Snowhead and the Snowhead Temple, just as Darmani, the Goron Elder, and the robot had before us. The wind whipped at my face, stingingly cold, as we dropped faster and faster into the montane abyss.

I was suffering a mixture of feelings. I finally held Saria in my arms, and all the chaos on the mountain slopes seemed like a far off memory. But it was all for nothing, and I'd die with her in my arms, so cruelly and savagely battered on impact with the ground, as if she and I were no more than one of the rag dolls Malon had in her house, flung against a wall and utterly forgotten with time. We were no different from any of the other snowflakes around us, and our destiny would be exactly the same as their's.

I stared, wide-eyed, at the impossibly black maw beneath us. How deep was it? How soon would our lives be over? I could still hear the faint echoes of the robot, bouncing off of the walls of the ravine, and the haunting howl of wind passing through the gaping entrance of the Snowhead Temple. How far had we fallen?

There was a cry right next to my chin, and I turned my head to see that, at last, Saria had woken up. Her eyes were almost as wide as mine were, and they stared all too fearfully towards the darkness below. "Link!" she gasped, her energy weak but her spirit strong. "What's going on? Where are we, why are we falling?"

For a moment I didn't answer, and just smiled softly. "Saria," I breathed in loving relief, "you know my name." At last, she finally remembered me.

"Link!" shouted a faint voice far above us, almost deafened by the whistling wind. Saria and I craned our heads up. A tiny green speck quivered in the air, and dragging it down was two little dots of light. It was Tatl and Tuto, with my hat in tow. It must have blown off while we were falling. "Link, quickly!" Tatl called, no match for the speed of our descent, but devotedly following us all the same. "Your ocarina! It's almost time! The moon's going to…!" She fell too far behind for me to hear any more. I understood what it was she was trying to say, though. And, with a spark of hope, I realized we still had a chance to survive.

Struggling to hold onto Saria with one hand, I hastily and clumsily drew out the ocarina the Kokiri girl had given me a year ago. We were sinking so fast that it was difficult for my lungs to play a single note. But there was so much adrenaline pumping through my veins, so much at stake, that I forced myself to play the Song of Time with every bit of energy I had left. The last note in the song was weaker and punier than any note I'd ever heard, and it died out before it could even be held long enough.

There was no second chance. I felt myself fade, the ocarina drop from my hands, and I could do nothing more than wearily cling to Saria as the bottom surely approached in the black abyss. I looked at the flower more studiously than ever before, trying as hard as I could to take in every detail of her appearance. It would be the last time I'd ever get to see her.

We stared at each other for what seemed like forever, that last bit of calm before the storm. Tears streamed from our pale, frozen faces. "Saria," I managed as loud as I could over the howling and whistling of the wind, the very last drop of energy spent on these final words, "I love you!"

"I love you too, Link!" she wept, holding me almost as tight as I was holding her.

Then out of nowhere, a whirling spiral of white light opened up beneath us. We passed seamlessly through it, and it was over.

* * *

**A Note from the Author:** Reviews are super duper welcome and appreciated! I hope you enjoyed this story, and I hope to see you all in the next story, Aquatic Requiem! Happy Halloween, and long live _Majora's Mask_!


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